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PRELIMINARY SCREENING OF A CLASSICAL UNANI FORMULATION MAJOON NAJAH FOR ANTICONVULSANT ACTIVITY
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| Author:
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ZEBA AFRIN, AISHA SIDDIQUI, M.A JAFRI, DIVYA VOHORA, M ASIF
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| Abstract:
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Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent seizures. Currently available antiepileptic
drugs are synthetic compounds and have limited efficacy and their major side effects limit their use and cause
difficulties in patient management. A classical semisolid formulation Majoon Najah (MN) (containing seven plant parts
i.e. Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia bellerica Roxb., Emblica officinalis Gaertn., Operculina turpethum Linn.,
Polypodium vulgare Linn., Cuscuta reflexa Roxb., Lavandula stoechas Mill.) is mentioned in Unani system of medicine
(part of AYUSH) as antiepileptic. MN has been used as an effective holistic treatment of convulsive disorders like
Malikholia (melancholia), Sara (epilepsy), Ikhtenaqur raham (hysteria), Junoon (schizophrenia) since decades. Most of
the plants present in MN have been experimentally reported to ameliorate convulsions. But no experimental study
has been carried out on the formulation MN for its anticonvulsant activity. It is reported that most of the antiepileptic
drugs cause ataxia and adverse effects on cognition and behaviour. So it is important to screen the effect of any
anticonvulsant drug on muscle co-ordination. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of the
classical formulation Majoon Najah (MN) in Increased Current Electroshock and Pentylenetetrazole induced
convulsions in mice. To evaluate the effect of test drug on motor co-ordination, muscle co-ordination test by rotarod
was carried out. In the present study, a classical formulation (Majoon Najah) was developed as mentioned in classical
text. Two new dosage forms with the ingredients of classical formulation Majoon Najah i.e. hydroalcoholic extract
(HEMN) and sugar free granules (GMN) were developed using soxhlet’s extractor and wet granulation technique
respectively. All the three dosage forms were evaluated for the anticonvulsant activity using Increased Current
Electroshock and Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced convulsions in mice. Statistical comparison was done by One way
ANOVA followed by Dunett’s t Test. The obtained results showed that the classical formulation Majoon Najah (MN)
and its two developed dosage forms i.e. hydroalcoholic extract (HEMN) and sugar free granules (GMN) had a
protective role on epilepsy. Treatment with MN, HEMN aand GMN significantly increased the seizure threshold
current when compared with control in ICES test. Moreover, MN, HEMN and GMN significantly increased the
latency of myoclonic jerks and clonic generalized seizures when compared with control in Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)
test. The conventional polyhherbal formulation Majoon Najah, its hydroalcoholic extract and sugar free granules, all
these forms did not produce any motor inco-ordination during rotarod test. These findings suggest that classical
formulation Majoon Najah might have possible efficacy in the treatment of epilepsy and it is safer than conventional
antiepileptic drugs.
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| Keyword:
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Epilepsy, unani, formulation, pentylenetetrazole, mice
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| EOI:
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| DOI:
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https://doi.org/10.31838/ijpr/2019.11.04.021
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