Anticonvulsant activity of solasodine isolated from Solanum sisymbriifolium fruits in rodents.

Context: Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam. (Solanaceae), commonly known as sticky nightshade, is traditionally used for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Although solasodine has been isolated from this plant, little is known about its anticonvulsant and CNS depressant actions.Objective: We investigated anticonvulsant and CNS depressant effects of solasodine isolated from S. sisymbriifolium using several experimental models.Materials and methods: Swiss albino mice (n = 6) were employed for pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and picrotoxin (PCT)-induced convulsions and thiopental-induced sleep time. Different groups of Wistar albino rats (n = 6) were subjected to maximal electroshock (MES) test. Solasodine, a steroidal glycoalkaloid, was isolated from dried fruits of S. sisymbriifolium and identified by GC-MS.Results: The results showed that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of solasodine (25 mg/kg) significantly delayed (p < 0.01) latency of hind limb tonic extensor (HLTE) phase in the PCT-induced convulsions. In th...