Abstract
Central nervous system disorders are of great concern in the present day world due to increasing stress and changing living conditions. Herbs and plants are used as a remedy and curative regimens for such kind of disorders from time immemorial. Medicago sativa (Leguminosae) is used to improve to kidney pain, antioxidant, antimicrobial and CNS disorders. The present study has been designed to evaluate the anxiolytic activity from ethyl acetate fraction of bioactive methanolic extract of the seeds of Medicago sativa using elevated plus maze model, hole board test, open field test, stair case test, light/dark exploration, social interaction and locomotor performance in experimental animal models. A trail has been done to separate the bioactive compound by fractionation method. Fractionation of bioactive ethyl acetate of the seeds showed significant anxiolytic action at a dose of 100mg/kg per oral when compared with the standard drug diazepam (1mg/kg, p.o). TLC profile of the fraction contains the spots indicating the presence of flavonoids. Hence the present study preclinically validates the anxiolytic action of Medicago sativa seed extract fraction. From the above study it was concluded that Medicago sativa can be safely used in the anxiety and other CNS disorders.
