Screening for anticonvulsant activity of HAB10 R12 / Rizuan Ajik @ Amboragang

The aim of this research project was to screen for anticonvulsant activity in endophytes isolated from Garcinia scortechinii (HAB10 R12). Locally known as 'pokok kandis', G. scortechinii is a small slender tree which is distributed throughout Malaysia and Southern Thailand. This plant has been studied to have numerous bioactivities. The crude ethyl acetate extract was intraperitoneally injected (administered on three different acute doses which are 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg and a chronic dose of 50mg/kg) IO minutes prior to the administration of picrotoxin (10 mg/kg), a known convulsant which antagonizes non-competitively the effect of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is a known major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). The results of this research project showed a significant anticonvulsant property at a dose of 50 mg/kg administered either acutely or chronically. Thus, the results suggest the presence of anticonvulsant compounds in ethyl acetate extract of HAB10 R12. This finding can be a trigger to further study the anticonvulsant effect of the HAB IO RI 2 so that a new and better antiepileptic drug (AED) can be developed. The existing AEDs are commonly associated with dose-related, acute and chronic toxicities among patients with epilepsy which in tum deteriorates their quality of life.