SCREENING OF STEM BARK EXTRACT OF BAUHINIA VARIEGATA LINN. FOR PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Bauhinia variegata named orchid tree, belongs to the family leguminosae. The methanolic extract of Bauhinia variegata (MEBV) revealed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, tannins, steroids, triterpenoids and flavonoids. Various CNS models were used to find out the antianxiety activity of Bauhinia variegata. The study was designed to evaluate the antianxiety activity of stem bark extract of Bauhinia variegata. The effect of dried stem bark of Bauhinia variegata (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) was evaluated using Elevated Plus Maze, Light and Dark Box, Restrained Stress Model and Novelty Suppressed Feeding Test using a wistar albino rats (n=6) and was statistically analyzed using ONE WAY Annova followed by Dunnett’s test. Oral administration of the methanolic extract of Bauhinia variegata (200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) showed significant increase in %OAE and %TSOA values for EPM, NEL and TSL values in Light and Dark Box, Restrained Stress Model showed  significant increase in %OAE and %TSOA and NEL and TSL values. Novelty suppressed feeding behaivior test showed significantly lower values for latency to feed.From the present study it may be concluded that among both the test groups, MEBV at a dose of 400 mg/kg was found to possess significant anti-anxiety activity.

Keywords: EPM- Elevated Plus Maze, NEL- Number of Entries in Light, TSL- Time spent in light.