Antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity and anti-epileptic potential of ethanol extracts of a multipurpose medicinal plant Dalbergia sissoo

Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham) is a medicinal plant with great medicinal impact on the nervous system. The present study was aimed to evaluate the phytochemical screening, antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, mutagenicity and anti-epileptic potential of ethanol extracts of Dalbergia sissoo (bark and leaf ethanolic extracts) in epilepsy-induced rats. The bark and leaves extract of D. sissoo were found to be rich in phytochemicals tannins, flavonoids, saponins, reducing sugars, terpenoids, glycosides, and proteins, and possessed both antibacterial and antifungal properties against various pathogenic bacterial and fungal species. In-vitro cytotoxicity and mutagenicity profile evidenced that bark and leaf extracts were non-toxic and non-mutagenic, respectively. Finally, the anticonvulsant effect of these extracts was tested on Pilocarpine-induced seizures in albino Wistar rats. In-vivo studies revealed that both bark and leaf extracts of D. sissoo significantly reduced the intensity of the seizures, and duration of convulsions induced by Pilocarpine in albino Wistar rat models. The ethanolic extracts showed marked protective activities against Pilocarpine-induced seizures in rat models. A dose of 500 mg/kg of D. sissoo leaf extract delayed the onset of seizures by 144 s versus the control Pilocarpine. In conclusion, this work supports the folkloric use of D. sissoo in Pakistan for the treatment of epilepsy in a more rational an patient-friendly manner.