Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2010 Feb 17;127(3):768-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.11.023. Epub 2009 Nov 29.
The extract of the leaves of Alchornea cordifolia (AC) is extensively used in ethnomedicine for ulcers, rheumatic pains, febrile convulsions and for enhancing physical performance. In this study, the anti-stress and anticonvulsant activities of the aqueous leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia were investigated in mice.
The anti-stress activity was assessed based on the ability of the extract to alter the duration of immobility, in the forced swim endurance test, whilst a picrotoxin-treated animal, was employed as the model for convulsive seizures.
The extract (100-400 mg/kg) given orally was found to significantly (p<0.05) reduce the duration of immobility, which suggest an anti-stress/anti-fatigue property. However, AC when tested at doses between 100 and 400 mg/kg did not prevent convulsions induced by picrotoxin in mice. The acute toxicity study carried out in mice revealed that the extract was well tolerated by the animals, as no death was observed at oral doses of 500-4000 mg/kg.
The results of this preliminary study provide evidence, which may support the use of Alchornea cordifolia against stress or fatigue in ethnomedicine.
阿尔乔恩纳·科迪菲拉（Alchornea cordifolia）的叶子提取物在民族医学中被广泛用于治疗溃疡、风湿痛、热性惊厥和提高身体机能。在这项研究中，研究了阿尔乔恩纳·科迪菲拉的水提叶提取物对小鼠的抗应激和抗惊厥活性。
根据提取物改变强迫游泳耐力试验中不动时间的能力评估抗应激活性，而用胡椒毒素处理的动物则用作惊厥发作的模型。
发现口服给予提取物（100-400mg/kg）可显著（p<0.05）减少不动时间，提示具有抗应激/抗疲劳特性。然而，当在 100 至 400mg/kg 之间的剂量下测试时，AC 并不能预防胡椒毒素诱导的小鼠惊厥。在小鼠中进行的急性毒性研究表明，提取物被动物很好地耐受，因为在口服剂量为 500-4000mg/kg 时没有观察到死亡。
这项初步研究的结果提供了证据，可能支持在民族医学中使用阿尔乔恩纳·科迪菲拉来对抗应激或疲劳。
