Pharmacological and Toxicity studies of the aqueous root extract of dalbergia saxatilis hook

The aqueous root extract of Dalbergia saxatilis (DS) was used to study the pharmacological and toxicity profile of the plant, to ascertain the various medicinal uses and lack of toxicity claims by Traditional Medicine Practitioners. The 24h (up 14 days) acute toxicity and 90-day (plus 14 day reversibility) synchronic toxicity studies were explored to evaluate the toxicity potentials, and as basis for dose selection in the pharmacological studies. DS (50-200 mg/kg) was used to study the central nervous system depressant activity using the pentobarbitone sleeping time and exploratory behaviour models in animals. Anitconvulsant activity was tested using the strychnine, picrotoxin, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and bicuculline-induced acute seizure models and electrically-induced threshold tonic extension (TTE) and Threshold hindlimb extension (THE) kindling seizures in mice. The anxioltuc effect was investigated using the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Y-Maze (YM) models…