ANTIEPILEPTIC ACTIVITY OF RUBIADIN ISOLATED FROM THE ROOTS OF RUBIA CORDIFOLIA IN MICE

Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system. A seizure occurs when the brain’s nerve cells misfire and generate a sudden uncontrolled surge of electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can be controlled with modern medicines and surgical techniques and are found to have so many side effects. Natural products from folk remedies are an alternative source of anti-epileptic drugs with better safety and efficacy profiles. Rubiadin is an anthraquinone glycoside isolated from roots of Rubia cordifoia (Manjishta) known for several pharmacological activities. The present study was aimed to assess the anti-epileptic activity of isolated rubiadin from Rubia cordifolia. The evaluation of anti-epileptic activity was carried out with maximal electric shock (MES) and Pentylene Tetrazole (PTZ) models. The epileptic seizure was induced in mice of either sex and the challenged animals treated with whole Rubia cordifolia root extract & isolated Rubiadin suspension at two doses 100 mg & 250 mg respectively. The isolated Rubiadin suspension at 250 mg dose showed a significant reduction in MES and PTZ induced an epileptic seizure, which is compared with whole plant extract in mice.