Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Neuropharmacological Effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa Aqueous Extract

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2003

Journal Title

Pharmaceutical Biology

Volume

41

Issue

5

First Page

325

Last Page

329

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1076/phbi.41.5.325.15933

Abstract

The neuropharmacological effects of the aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) calyx were studied in rodents. HS (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a remarkable dose-dependent decrease in spontaneous motor activity in mice and increased the duration of pentobarbital (40 mg/kg, i.p.) induced sleep in rats. The extract (100-400 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced the exploratory behaviour in mice. The extract significantly inhibited the intensity of apomorphine (1 mg/kg, s.c.) induced stereotypic behaviour and attenuated climbing in the mice dose-dependently. Similarly, chlorpromazine (3 mg/kg, i.p.) blocked apomorphine induced stereotype behaviour significantly. The intraperitoneal LD 50 of the extract was estimated to be greater than 5000 mg/kg. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of HS may contain psychoactive substances that are sedative in nature and which contribute to its use in traditional medicine as sedative.

Keywords

Hibiscus sabdariffa, spontaneous motor activity, pentobarbitol-induced sleep, apomorphine-induced stereotypic behavior, apomorphine-induced climbing

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