Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTI-COMPULSIVE EFFECT OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF RANDIA DUMETORUM LAMK FRUIT IN MICE

Dipali Kunal Chavhan*, Pranay M. Uplenchwar, Rajnandini S. Suroshe, Priti H. Jadhao

ABSTRACT

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with limited treatment options. It is characterized by persistent thoughts (obsessions), which are ego-dystonic and associated with seemingly purposeful behaviors (compulsions). Only potent selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are consistently effective in patients of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which indicates that serotonin dysfunction is the underlying cause in OCD. An outgrowing research has been done in pharmacotherapy of OCD but research into effective herbal treatments for OCD has just started. Those plants which are used to treat anxiety and depression can be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of OCD. These evidence suggest that may be found to be useful in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. To evaluate this possibility, we studied the influence of ethanolic extract of Randia Dumetorum lamk on marble-burying behavior in mice. The results revealed that ethanolic extract of Randia Dumetorum lamk (EERD) (100, 200 and 400mg/kg) reduced the marble burying behavior in mice. The effects of EERD were comparable to that of fluoxetine (5, 10 and 15 mg/kg). We also studied the effect of sub effective dose of EERD (100 mg/kg) with the sub effective dose of fluoxetine (5 mg/kg), which significantly reduced the marble burying behavior in mice. In conclusion, the study indicates that EERD can modulate obsessive compulsive behavior and also potentiate the effect of fluoxetine, and could serve as an herbal treatment of OCD.

Keywords: Fluoxetine, marble-burying behavior, Randia Dumetorum lamk, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).