Effects of withania somnifera (l.) Root extracts in modulating serotonin levels in swiss mice

Abstract

The increase in bone complications and disorders worldwide is becoming unbearable every day, with complications of back pain and arthritis based increasingly becoming a complex clinical challenge in the society and contributing for up to 60% of the human population who suffer from bone ailments. Withania somnifera is widely used in the traditional medical system of India against conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism. Serotonin, on the other hand, regulates mood and general behavioral pattems. The general objective of this study was to investigate the effects of W. somnifera root extracts on blood serotonin levels for possible application as a natural pain relieving agent through serotonin secretion. Since more serotonin is secreted during pain, Withania somnifera could thus be administerd against the pain resulting from musculo-skeletal complications and as an antidote to other pain conditions. Withania somnifera root samples were collected from Baringo County, around Chemeron Campus, Egenon University. Following extraction with hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, ethanol, methanol and distilled water, the extracts were administered to different groups of mice as room temperature obtained extracts (cold crude extracts) as well as those obtained through soxhlet (hot crude extracts). Panadol was also treated to one set of mice to act as a positive control experiment. Serotonin assay was carried out in two series to establish whether there was any effect of heat during and after extraction, on the bioactivity of the secondry metabolites. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) and data entered in spreadsheets for subsequent generation of graphs and tables. Data was analyzed using GENSTAT (Versionl5) Software and the treatment means compared using least significant difference (LSD). The extracts from roots of VI/ithania somnifera contained secondary metabolites with different concentrations (ug/mL) of alkaloids in ethyl acetate (90) and methanol (78), flavonoids in methanol (135), terpenoids in hexane (105) and dichloromethane (90), tannins in methanol (ll9) and phenols in methanol (38). The crude extracts proved to increase serotonin secretion in Swiss albino mice differently, some close to Panadol, with polar solvents recording higher increase (ethanol 2.5045 x lO'l) than non-polar (n-hexane 6.78xl0'3) pg/mL respectively. Purification of extracts of W. somnzfera from each solvent and identification of the actual class of compounds causing serotonin secretion were recommended.