Pharmacological activity of Elaeocarpus sphaericus.

Elaeocarpus sphaericus fruits are used in Ayurveda for mental diseases, epilepsy, asthma, hypertension, arthritis and liver diseases. Sequential petroleum ether (PE), benzene (BE), chloroform (CE), acetone (AE) and ethanol (EE) extracts (50-200 or 200 mg/kg, ip, or 200 mg/kg, po) of dried Elaeocarpus sphaericus fruits, pretreatment time 30-45 min, showed significant antiinflammatory action against both acute and sub-acute models, analgesic, barbiturate-hypnosis potentiation and antiulcerogenic activities in rats. All the extracts, except PE and EE decreased swim stress immobility in mice indicating some degree of antidepressant activity. All the extracts protected guinea-pigs against bronchospasm induced by histamine and acetylcholine aerosols. Chemically, the extracts showed the presence of glycosides, steroids, alkaloids and flavonoids. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.