Neuropharmacological Evaluation of Methanolic Extract from Mercurialis Annua a Plant used in Moroccan Traditional Medicine

Current therapeutic for the treatment of anxiety is associated with a wild variety of prominent side effects. The traditional use of plant extract to health care can indicate an important source of new pharmaceuticals. In Morocco traditional medicine, the use of Mercurialis annua is commonly recommended for relief of anxiety. Nevertheless, despite its popular use there are no studies related to its possible neuropharmacological effect. Here, we investigated the possible anxiolytic effect of the extract of M.annua after acute treatment in mice. The methanolic extract from the aerial parts of M.annua (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg) was orally administered, and its anxiolytic effect was evaluated in hole board test, the light–dark box test, and motor coordination with the rota rod test. Diazepam was employed as standard drug 1mg/kg. The methanolic extract of Ma 100 mg/kg increased the time spent in the brightly-lit chamber of the light/dark box, as well as in the number of times the animal crossed from one compartment to the other. Performance on the rota rod was unaffected. In the hole board test, the extract significantly increased head-dip counts. These results provides support for anxiolytic activity of Mercurialis annua, in line with its medicinal traditional use, and may also suggest a better side-effect profile of Mercurialis annua relative to diazepam.