ABSTRACT
Ficus platyphylla Del.-Holl (Moraceae) is a deciduous plant found mainly in the
Savanna regions of West Africa. The plant is used traditionally in Northern Nigeria
to treat depression and persons possessed by spirits (bori, ciwon inna or iska). A few
reports (oral communication) suggest that the stem bark may contain some analgesic
and sedative principles. The effects of the methanolic extract of Ficus platyphylla
stem bark were studied on locomotor activity, pentobarbitone sleeping time,
amphetamine induced hyperactivity and stereototyped behaviour, apomorphine
induced stereotyped behaviour, catalepsy, pain, inflammation, electroshock and
pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in chicks, mice and rats. The LC50 and
intraperitoneal LD50 of the extract were found to be 113.7μg/ml and greater than
2000mg/kg in brine shrimp and mice lethality studies respectively. The extract
significantly exhibited a dose and time dependent decreased in spontaneous motor
activity (SMA) and antagonised amphetamine induced stereotyped behaviour in mice.
The extract exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity in a dose related maimer and
significantly reduced the total mobile, static and rearing counts as well as the active
and mobile times dose and time dependently. It also attenuated amphetamine induced
hyperactivity, prolonged the duration of pentobarbitone induced sleep in rats, reduced
the incidence of pentylenetetrazole induced seizures and protected the mice against
tonic hind limb extension and death, but did not protect the chicks against
electroshock seizure. The extract significantly attenuated apomorphine induced
stereotyped behavioural patterns and acetic acid induced pain in a dose and time
related manner. The extract induced a significant cataleptogenic effect and
exacerbated haloperidol induced catalepsy. The results suggest the presence of
VIII
pharmacologically active principles in the extract of Ficus platyphylla with profound
sedative activity. The data provide scientific evidence for the use of the plant in
traditional medicine for psychotic states (since there is evidence that the active
principles exhibited properties that were similar to clinically useful drugs against
laboratory models of psychoses).
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