Background: Antiepileptics available currently cause teratogenicity and chronic toxicity. Several plant extracts exhibit the potential to be developed into newer antiepileptics.
Aims and Objective: To evaluate the anticonvulsant action of aqueous extract of Centella asiatica and compare it with sodium valproate in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in albino mice.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male albino mice weighing 1830 g were divided into four groups. Group I was administered distilled water, group II sodium valproate (300 mg/kg i.p.), and groups III and IV aqueous extract of C. asiatica (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg), respectively. Seizures were induced by giving PTZ (80 mg/kg s.c.) 1 h after administration of the respective treatments. Suppression of clonic seizure was considered as an indicator of anticonvulsant action of the compound.
Result: The aqueous extract of C. asiatica at both doses (100 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) suppressed the clonic seizures in mice, and this was statistically significant. The anticonvulsant action of the extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg was comparable to that of sodium valproate in this study.
Conclusion: The aqueous extract of C. asiatica at a dose of 300 mg/kg has shown anticonvulsant action comparable to sodium valproate in PTZ-induced seizures.
Key words: Centella asiatica; Pentylenetetrazole, Sodium Valproate
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