Phytochemical Estimations and Neurobehavioural Effects of <I>Albizia coriaria</I> Welw. ex Oliv. (Mimosaceae) in Mice

Albizia coriara is used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders in ethnomedicine but no scientific documentation of its use. Hence, this study evaluated the neuropharmacological potentials of acute oral administration of methanol stem bark extract (MSAC) at 100-400 mg/kg in mice and its phytoconstituents. The anxiolytic potential assessed using elevated plus maze (EPM) and hole board test (HBT); sedative-hypnotic using pentobarbital-induced hypnosis (PIH); antiamnesic using scopolamine-, and diazepam-induced amnesia; antipsychotic using hyperactivity, enhanced immobility in forced swimming (FST) tests induced by ketamine; and anticonvulsant using pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) convulsion models. The MSAC and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced open arm avoidance indices on open arm of EPM and showed significant dose-dependent decrease in head poking on HBT compared to control. The MSAC and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) also significantly shortened the sleep latency and extended the sleep duration in PIH compared to control. The MSAC and piracetam (200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated scopolamine-, and diazepam-induced amnesia compared to scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) controls respectively. The MSAC and risperidone (0.5 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly mitigated the hypermotility and enhanced immobility in FST compared to ketamine control at 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg i.p respectively. The MSAC (200 and 400 mg/kg) and diazepam significantly extended the latencies to tonic-clonic convulsions and death compared to control in PTZ model. This study concluded that MSAC may possess anxiolytic, sedative-hypnotic, anti-amnesic, antipsychotic and anticonvulsant effects ascribed to abundance of total flavonoids (208.20 ± 3.25 mg QE/g MSAC) among other phyochemicals present in MSAC.