Efectos sobre el sistema nervioso central del extracto etanólico y fracciones de Hygrophila tyttha Leonard

the central nervous effects elicited by the ethanolic extract and the aqueous, chloroformic, methanolic and hexanic fractions obtained from hygrophila tyttha were evaluated in icr mice. to achieve this objective, tests to prove anxiolytic (elevated plus-maze), antidepressant (forced swimming), anticonvulsant (pentylenetetrazol, electroshock), and hypnotic (pentobarbital induced sleep) activity were applied. a bioguided phytochemical study was carried out to determine the most active fractions. according to the high protection scores obtained by the electroshock model (90%) and the activity registered by the elevated plus maze (comparable to diazepam), the chloroformic fraction possibly contains the main active compounds, such as coumarins, flavonoids, steroids and/or terpenoids and saponins, according to the phytochemical analyses. these results support the ethnobotanical use and the therapeutic potential of hygrophila tyttha as a natural source of therapeutic compounds for the treatment of central disorders like anxiety and seizures.