Review of "Anticonvulsant effect of kaurenoic acid isolated from the root bark of Annona senegalensis"

Background. Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders, responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality due to limited efficacy and negative properties of antiepileptic drugs. Medicinal plants are believed to be an important source of new chemical substances with potential therapeutic effects. Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke is a medicinal plant used in Ethiopian traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. However, it lacks scientific investigation on its anticonvulsant activity. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of 80% methanol root bark extract and solvent fractions of Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke in mice. Methods. Anticonvulsant activity was evaluated by using the pentylenetetrazole and maximal electroshock-induced seizure test. The 80% methanolic root bark extract was subjected to successive fractionation with solvents differing polarity, i.e., chloroform, butanol, and water. The test groups received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg bodyweight of extract and its solvent fractions. Result. The ME400 and BF400 at the higher dose exhibited a significant ( p < 0.001 ) anticonvulsant effect in both the pentylenetetrazole and maximal electroshock-induced seizure test compared with control. However, chloroform fraction only showed a significant ( p < 0.001 ) anticonvulsant effect in the PTZ-induced seizure test, while aqueous fraction had least anticonvulsant activity in both seizure-induced tests. Phytochemical screening of Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke root bark extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenoids, and tannins. Conclusion. This study indicated that the plant has anticonvulsant activity and is considered as a potential source to develop a new antiepileptic drug.

Download Full-text

Antimicrobial Effects of a Lipophilic Fraction and Kaurenoic Acid Isolated from the Root Bark Extracts ofAnnona senegalensis

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2012/831327 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Theophine Chinwuba Okoye ◽

Peter Achunike Akah ◽

Charles Ogbonnaya Okoli ◽

Adaobi Chioma Ezike ◽

Edwin Ogechukwu Omeje ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Methylene Chloride ◽

Ethyl Acetate Fraction ◽

Diffusion Method ◽

Root Bark ◽

X Ray Crystallography ◽

Kaurenoic Acid ◽

Antibacterial And Antifungal ◽

White Crystalline Compound ◽

Lipophilic Fraction ◽

Oily Liquid

Root bark preparation ofAnnona senegalensisPers. (Annonaceae) is used in Nigerian ethnomedicine for treatment of infectious diseases. Extraction of theA. senegalensispowdered root bark with methanol-methylene chloride (1 : 1) mixture yielded the methanol-methylene extract (MME) which was fractionated to obtain the ethyl acetate fraction (EF). The EF on further fractionation gave two active subfractions, F1 and F2. The F1 yielded a lipophilic oily liquid while F2 on purification, precipitated white crystalline compound, AS2. F1 was analyzed using GC-MS, while AS2 was characterized by proton NMR and X-ray crystallography. Antibacterial and antifungal studies were performed using agar-well-diffusion method with 0.5 McFarland standard and MICs calculated. GC-MS gave 6 major constituents: kaur-16-en-19-oic acid; 1-dodecanol; 1-naphthalenemethanol; 6,6-dimethyl-bicyclo[3.1.1]hept-2-ene-2-ethanol; 3,3-dimethyl-2-(3-methylbuta-1,3-dienyl)cyclohexane-1-methanol; 3-hydroxyandrostan-17-carboxylic acid. AS2 was found to be kaur-16-en-19-oic acid. The MICs of EF, F1, and AS2 againstB. subtiliswere 180, 60, and 30 μg/mL, respectively. AS2 exhibited activity againstS. aureuswith an MIC of 150 μg/mL, while F1 was active againstP. aeruginosawith an MIC of 40 μg/mL. However, the extracts and AS2 exhibited no effects againstCandida albicansandAspergillus niger. Therefore, kaurenoic acid and the lipophilic fraction fromA. senegalensisroot bark exhibited potent antibacterial activity.

Download Full-text