Title:Pharmacological Investigation of Anticonvulsant Effect of Artemisia Vulgaris on Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Epileptic Seizures in Zebrafish Experimental Model
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Author(s): Mahima Sharma, Godlaveti Vijay Narasimha Kumar and Pankaj Gupta*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology, DDPR-Central Research Institute (H), Noida, India
Keywords:
Convulsion, epilepsy, danio rerio, alternative therapy, larvae, anti-convulsant.
Abstract:
Background: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder, characterized by abnormal,
unpredictable, and recurrent seizures. In the alternative medicine system, Artemisia vulgaris has
been used to treat epileptic symptoms since its inception. However, scientific evidence concerning
its effect on the treatment of epileptic seizures is not available.
Objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate the anti-convulsant potential of Artemisia vulgaris
in zebrafish experimental models.
Methods: Zebrafish larvae and adult zebrafish were used as experimental models. Briefly, larvae and
adult zebrafish were exposed to 0.5% of the test medicine Artemisia vulgaris mother tincture (ϕ) and
its potencies (6 CH, 30 CH), and valproic acid for 1 hour. After 1 hour of exposure, they were exposed
to pentylenetetrazole to record different seizure scores from 1 to 5 using ANY maze video tracking
software.
Results: Artemisia vulgaris 30CH in zebrafish larvae and Artemisia vulgaris 6 CH and 30 CH in adult
zebrafish delayed the latency score from score 1 to score 5 and were found effective against PTZinduced
locomotor activity and seizure duration and intensity.
Conclusion: In conclusion, Artemisia vulgaris (6 CH and 30 CH) has the potential to be a novel
treatment for symptomatic epileptic seizures and could be a potential alternative drug candidate for
symptomatic treatment of epilepsy.