Journal
REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE FARMACOGNOSIA-BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOGNOSY
Volume 18, Issue -, Pages 686-689Publisher
JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY
DOI: 10.1590/S0102-695X2008000500008
Keywords
Artemisia annua; Asteraceae; CNS; in vivo
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Artemisia annua has been used as a traditional plant for the treatment of malaria and fever in China because of the presence of its active compound, artemisinin. The present study evaluated the central activity of the essential oil and the crude ethanol extract of A. annua L. in animals as a part of a psychopharmacological screening of this plant. The extract was prepared in ethanol (AEE) and the essential oil (AEO) obtained by hydrodistillation, both with fresh leaves. Induced immobility, the forced swimming test (FST) and the open-field test (OFT) are well-known animal models to study drug-induced depression. The administration of A. annua essential oil or crude ethanol extract increased the immobility time in the FST and decreased other activities (ambulation, exploration, rearing and grooming) in the OFT in animals. Both AEO and AEE prolonged pentobarbital-induced sleep as well, but the essential oil had a marked effect. Observing these results, it is possible to suggest that A. annua crude ethanol extract and essential oil could act as depressors on the Central Nervous System (CNS).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available