EVALUATION OF ANTI-SEIZURE ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF MUSA PARADISIACA FLOWER ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH ANTI-SEIZURE DRUGS IN SWISS ALBINO MICE

Background: There are numerous anti-seizure drugs on the market, but side effects at the highest dosage that can be tolerated account for the majority of prescription discontinuations. Research on Musa paradisiaca’s synergistic activity is of utmost importance in getting insight into its anti-seizure potential. Methods: Anti-seizure activity of Musa paradisiaca on generalized tonic-clonic seizure was evaluated using standard maximal electroshock seizure method and on absence seizure using pentylenetetrazole test. Both models had 6 groups each: vehicle control, active control, high dose herb, low dose herb, combination of active control (sub-therapeutic dose) with low dose herb & combination of active control (sub-therapeutic dose) with high dose herb. Results: In MES model Musa paradisiaca in high dose prevented both tonic extension and tonic flexion. In PTZ model Musa paradisiaca in high dose and low dose significantly increase the latency of onset of seizures and decrease the duration of seizure compared to vehicle control. There was no significant effect on onset of 1st myoclonic jerk. Addition of Musa paradisiaca to the sub-therapeutic dose of sodium valproate and phenytoin showed a synergistic effect. Conclusion: Inhibition of seizure by Musa paradisiaca could be due to the presence of flavonoids that act as a partial positive allosteric modulator at GABAA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors, penetrate the blood-brain barrier and possess the anti-convulsant activity and also because of its antioxidant property. Musa paradisiaca can be effective alone or as add-on in generalized tonic-clonic seizures and as add-on with sodium valproate for absence seizures.