Hypnotic activity of Capparis spinosa hydro-alcoholic extract in mice

BACKGROUND Sleep disorders are among the most common psychiatric and medical conditions. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed at investigating the hypnotic activity of the hydro-alcoholic extract of Capparis spinosa (HAE) in mice. METHOD Three doses of HAE (30, 60 and 120 mg/kg) and three fractions of it, namely n-hexane fraction (NHF), water fraction (WF), and ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), were given in comparison with diazepam (3mg/kg body weight i.p.) as positive control and saline as negative control. After 30 min, pentobarbital (30 mg/kg body weight i.p.) was administrated. In addition, LD50 of HAE was examined and the cytotoxicity of HAE was assessed in l929 cells using the MTT assay. Moreover, for motor-coordination ability 30 mins after administration of HAE rota-rod test was performed. RESULTS The results exhibited that the HAE and all the fractions significantly augmented pentobarbital induced sleeping time which was comparable to that of induced by diazepam. The LD50 value was 2.4 g/kg. The extract did not induce any cytotoxic effects in L929 fibroblast cells. HAE did not affect the animals' performance on the rota-rod test. CONCLUSION Our finding suggests that hydro-alcoholic extract of C. spinosa possesses hypnotic potential that may require further scientific investigations.