Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Anxiolytic and Anti-Epileptogenic Effects of Vitex chrysocarpa Leaf

Abstract

Vitex chrysocarpa is a medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine across the native parts of tropical Africa for treatment of various health conditions including anxiety, epilepsy, oxidative stress, microbial infections and inflammation.  This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, anxiolytic and anti-epileptogenic activities of Vitex chrysocarpa leaf methanol extract using established models. The 2,2, azino-bis(3ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging activity, total flavonoid, total phenolic ferric reducing antioxidant power and total capacity assays was used to measure the antioxidant activity, while Lorke’s method was used to evaluate the oral acute toxicity (LD₅₀) of the extract in mice. Elevated plus maze model was used to evaluate the anxiolytic activity while pentyleneterazole-induced seizure model was used to evaluate the anti-epileptogenic activity of the extract in mice. In the anxiolytic and anti-epileptogenic studies, graded doses of the extract (200 – 800 mg/kg p.o) were evaluated, while diazepam was served as positive control. Results from the study revealed that the LD₅₀ of the extract in mice was greater than 5000 mg/kg. The extract demonstrated good antioxidant activity that has 47.28% inhibition at 400 µg/ mL in the ABTS assay. The extract also had significant (p ˂ 0.05) anxiolytic and anti-epileptogenic effects during the study. The study outcome thus shows that Vitex Chrysocarpa leaf extract had potent antioxidant, anxiolytic and anti-epileptogenic activities hence may serve as scientific justification for its use in ethnomedicine.