Gender Specific effects of Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Bauhinia Variegata on the Behavior of Albino Mice.

Abstract

The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of 150 mg/ml solvent/Kg of body weight of Bauhinia variegata’s leaf extract supplementation on neuromuscular coordination, locomotory and exploratory behavior of adult female and male albino mice. Seven week old female and male albino mice were used as experimental animals. Mice were either orally supplemented with 150 mg/ml/Kg of body weight Bauhinia variegata leaf extract or with saline solution for 17 days. Behavioral observations were made by applying a series of neurological tests (rota rod, light dark box. open field, elevated plus maze and Morris water maze). Female mice treated with leaf extract of Bauhinia variegata displayed significantly improved rota rod test performance (P = 0.008) than control group. Bauhinia variegata Linn leaf extract treated male mice had increased dark to light transition frequency than control group during light dark test, leaf extract treated male mice covered more distance (P = 0.03) with higher speed (P = 0.03), remained mobile for longer time (P = 0.01) than control group during elevated plus maze test. Open field, novel object and Morris water maze test performance remained unaffected for both genders when compared between Bauhinia variegata leaf extract treated and untreated mice. Supplementation with leaf extract of Bauhinia variegata improved neuromuscular coordination in female while improved the exploratory behavior in male albino mice.