ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Nutmeg, the seeds of Myritica fragrans (family Myristicaceae), is a well known kitchen spice with a long-standing reputation as a psychoactive herb. Nutmeg at high doses is considered a cheap substitute to several drugs of abuse. Earlier reports have attributed amphetamine-like activities to nutmeg. AIM OF THE STUDY: To characterize the neuropharmacological effects of different nutmeg extracts, administered orally and intraperitoneally, in comparison to Delta(9)-terahydrocannabinol, amphetamine, and morphine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methanolic (ME), dichloromethane (DE), and hexane (HE) extracts were obtained from a chromatographically fingerprinted batch of nutmeg. Biological evaluation was conducted in sets of 6-8 mice in the tetrad assay at doses ranging from 100 to 500 and 500 to 1000 mg/kg for i.p. and oral administration, respectively. RESULTS: While oral administration of all the nutmeg extracts at 500 mg/kg caused a significant increase in locomotor activity, the i.p. administration of DE showed significant reduction in rectal temperature along with a significant increase in tail flick latency at 300 mg/kg. A significant decrease in core body temperature was observed with HE at 100 mg/kg, while higher doses caused significant increases in hot plate latency. CONCLUSION: Different behavioral effects were observed that varied by the type of extract as well as by the route of administration.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Nutmeg, the seeds of Myritica fragrans (family Myristicaceae), is a well known kitchen spice with a long-standing reputation as a psychoactive herb. Nutmeg at high doses is considered a cheap substitute to several drugs of abuse. Earlier reports have attributed amphetamine-like activities to nutmeg. AIM OF THE STUDY: To characterize the neuropharmacological effects of different nutmeg extracts, administered orally and intraperitoneally, in comparison to Delta(9)-terahydrocannabinol, amphetamine, and morphine. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Methanolic (ME), dichloromethane (DE), and hexane (HE) extracts were obtained from a chromatographically fingerprinted batch of nutmeg. Biological evaluation was conducted in sets of 6-8 mice in the tetrad assay at doses ranging from 100 to 500 and 500 to 1000 mg/kg for i.p. and oral administration, respectively. RESULTS: While oral administration of all the nutmeg extracts at 500 mg/kg caused a significant increase in locomotor activity, the i.p. administration of DE showed significant reduction in rectal temperature along with a significant increase in tail flick latency at 300 mg/kg. A significant decrease in core body temperature was observed with HE at 100 mg/kg, while higher doses caused significant increases in hot plate latency. CONCLUSION: Different behavioral effects were observed that varied by the type of extract as well as by the route of administration.
Authors: L S Lopes; S S Pereira; L L Silva; K A Figueiredo; B A Moura; F R C Almeida; F C F Sousa Journal: Life Sci Date: 2008-11-17 Impact factor: 5.037
Authors: Saleh Al-Quraishy; Mohamed A Dkhil; Rewaida Abdel-Gaber; Rafat Zrieq; Taghreed A Hafez; Murad A Mubaraki; Ahmed E Abdel Moneim Journal: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Date: 2020-01-28 Impact factor: 4.223