Acute toxicity and neuropharmacological activity of Ficus hispida leaves extract in mice

Generally Ficus hispida is used for treatment of neurological disorders, pain, inflammation, diabetes and fever in folk medicine. The present study was designed to evaluate the safety along with the neuropharmacological activity of the methanolic extract of Ficus hispida leaves by using OECD guidelines, pentobarbital induced sleeping test, elevated plus-maze test, open field test and hole cross test respectively. Mortality, behavioral changes or sign of any toxicity were not observed up to the dose as high as 4000mg/kg. Moreover, the extract of Ficus hispida leaves potentiated the pentobarbital induced sleeping time in mice at dose 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg. In elevated plus maze test, the extract at dose 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg showed a significant (p<0.05, vs. control) depressant and slight anti-depressant activity. Again, both lower and higher doses of extract (200mg/kg and 400mg/kg) of Ficus hispida leaves were decreased the open field score in open field test and also decreased the number of passage through the hole from one chamber to other in hole cross test at both doses. Therefore, results of above study indicate that Ficus hispida leaves can be a potential source of depressant as well as anti-depressant agent. For the conformation of their activities further investigation is required.