Investigating the Anticonvulsant Properties of Aqueous Ethanolic Extracts of the Leaves, Roots, and Fruits of Jatropha gossypifolia L. (Euphorbiaceae)

Convulsion is a typical symptom associated with epilepsy. Jatropha gossypifolia, a common plant in Ghana, has been used traditionally for the management of epilepsy. This study was carried out to ascertain the scientific basis for the traditional utility of Jatropha gossypifolia for various convulsive disorders and also determine the part of the plant with the most anticonvulsant activity. The anticonvulsant activity of the leaf, root, and fruit extracts in doses of 30–300 mg/kg was assessed using the picrotoxin-induced seizure models in mice. The drugs and chemical preparations used included diazepam, picrotoxin, ethanol (70%), and normal saline. GraphPad Prism 6 was used for all statistical analysis and plotting of graphs. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test. The leaf extract significantly and dose-independently reduced the frequency of myoclonic jerks ( P = 0.0001 ) and decreased the duration of clonic convulsions ( P = 0.019 ). The root extract also significantly and dose-dependently reduced the frequency of myoclonic jerks ( P = 0.001 ) but only decreased the frequency of tonic convulsions at 100 mg/kg ( P = 0.006 ). It also significantly decreased the duration of tonic convulsions ( P = 0.0001 ). The fruit extract only significantly and dose-independently reduced the frequency of myoclonic jerks ( P = 0.0001 ). It, however, showed an increase in the duration of both clonic and tonic convulsions. The study shows that the leaves and roots of Jatropha gossypifolia produce anticonvulsant activity which may be through enhancement of GABAergic transmission or activation of GABA receptors which support the traditional use of the plant to treat epileptic fits.

On the neurological roles of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate: a systematic analysis

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) and glucosamine sulfate (GS) are widely used as chondroprotectors. Data mining of 42,051 publications on the effects of CS/GS showed that impairments in the their metabolism were characteristic of ischemic, neurodegenerative diseases, convulsive disorders or conditions, and neuropsychological diseases (schizophrenia, affective disorders). The results of experimental studies indicate that it is expedient to use CS and GS in the therapy of ischemic and neurodegenerative diseases.

Gastrodia elatoides (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Gastrodieae), a new holomycoheterotrophic orchid from Madagascar

Gastrodia Brown (1810: 330; Gastrodieae, Epidendroideae) is a genus of holomycoheterotrophic orchids distributed from India and eastern Asia through Malaysia to Australia, as well as in tropical Afro-Madagascar (Pearce & Cribb 2002, Kores & Molvray 2005, Chen et al. 2009, Cribb et al. 2010). In this genus, 85 species have been accepted based on the combined information from Govaerts et al. (2018) and recently published new records of Gastrodia species (Jin & Kyaw 2017, Metusala & Supriatna 2017, Suetsugu 2017, Aung & Jin 2018). Consequently, it is now the largest holomycoheterotrophic genus among vascular plants (Hsu et al. 2016, Suetsugu 2017). Gastrodia is characterised by a fleshy tuber or coralloid rhizome, fusion of sepals and petals, a spurless lip and two sectile pollinia (Pearce & Cribb 2002, Kores & Molvray 2005, Chen et al. 2009). One species, G. elata Blume (1856: 174), is a highly valued plant in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for the treatment of convulsive disorders such as epilepsy (Cribb et al. 2010, Chen et al. 2009).