Study of Sedative, Pre-Anesthetic, and Anti-Anxiety Effects of Verbascum thapsus L. Extract Compared with Diazepam in Rats

Plants have been used as folkloric sources of medicinal agents since the beginning of mankind. As the age of modern medicine, single pure drugs emerged, and plant-derived active principles, their semi-synthetic and synthetic analogs have served as a major route to new pharmaceuticals. The major purpose of this study was to evaluation sedative, pre-anesthetic, and anti-anxiety effects of Verbascum thapsus L. extract compared with diazepam in rats. In the present study, 30 wistar male rats weighting 210±20 g and about 12 month-old were used for laboratory experiments. Animals were kept in standard condition, at 20-25°C, 70% humidity and light cycle of 12 hours lighting and 12 hours darkness. Standard plates were used in order to feeding by method of ad libitum. In order to evaluate the sedation and pre-anesthetic effects of Verbascum extract compared with diazepam, 1 g/kg of extract in first group, 2 g/kg in second group, 4 g/kg in third group, 1.2 mg/kg of diazepam in group forth, group fifth received 1.2 mg/kg placebo and group sixth did not receive any drug. Elevated plus maze was used in order to evaluate anti-anxiety effects of Verbascum extract. Our results showed that Verbascum thapsus L. extract has better sedative and pre-anesthetic effects at the dose of 200 mg/kg compared with diazepam. Also, anti-anxiety properties of this medicinal plant were more significant. In conclusion can be state that extract of this medicinal plant has better sedation, pre-anesthetic, and anti-anxiety effects than diazepam. Authors suggest that still need more studies on this plant component in order to understand the more sedative and anxiolytic effects of it.