Dose dependent anticonvulsant activity of Morus nigra in strychnine induced seizures model

Herbal medicines have gained tremendous surge of interest in recent years. M. nigra leaves are a rich source of phenolics which are well-known for their antioxidant property. Morus nigra popularly known as black mulberry is considered to be the most significant species of genus Morus. This study was designed to evaluate its activity on seizure model in different doses. Five groups were made comprising of n=10 animals in each group respectively. Group I was on distilled water, Group II was administered with reference drug diazepam and Group III, IV and V were on 125mg/kg, 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg dose of Morus nigra for 15 days prior to experiment. On day 16th all animals were administered with strychnine after 30 minutes of respective treatments and three parameters were recorded i.e. duration, frequency and onset of seizures. M. nigra treatment showed significant seizure protection as noted by delayed latency of seizures (P<0.05), decrease in frequency and jerk's duration (P<0.05) in comparison to control and reference standard. Most significant (P<0.05) anticonvulsant effects were observed with 500mg/kg dose. Anticonvulsant activity of M. nigra could be due to potentiation of both Gabaergic and glycinergic activities. Antiepileptic potential of extract could also be amplified due to its antioxidant activity. This could serve as a non-pharmacological treatment for seizure management.