Beneficial Effect of Moringa stenopetala (Bak.f) Cuf. on Lithium–Pilocarpine‑Induced Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Experimental Animals

Background: Moringa stenopetala is traditionally used for the treatment of epilepsy in southern Ethiopia. Additionally, the plant material is used for the treatment of various ailments such as pain, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipemia. Aim of the Study: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of M. stenopetala crude extract on the development of lithium–pilocarpine‑induced temporal lobe epilepsy model in rats. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague‑Dawley rats weighing 200–225 g were randomly divided into nine groups. Groups I, V, and VI served as normal control, positive control, and negative control, respectively. While Groups II–IV were treated with three different doses (400, 600, and 800 mg/kg) levels of crude extract in pre‑ and postinduction of status epilepticus (SE). On the other hand, Groups VII–IX were treated with the same three dose levels but after induction of SE only. All the rats, except those in normal control, were subjected to lithium (3 meq/kg) and pilocarpine (35 mg/kg) for the induction of SE. In addition, the elevated plusmaze and infrared actimeter models were used to evaluate anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy in SE animals. Results: The rats treated with the crude extract of M. stenopetala significantly increased the latency period to the first motor seizure (58.1 min) and SE (80.4 min) compared to the control group; those developed seizure and SE at 13.3 and 35.4 min, respectively. The chronic spontaneous seizure was less severity just below spontaneous recurrent seizure at Pinel and Rovner scale 6 in rats treated with extract pre‑ and postinduction. The crude extract also showed significant dose‑dependent anxiolytic activity (P < 0.001) and improved locomotor activity (P < 0.001). The histopathological studies of hippocampus formation revealed that the extract prevented damages compared to control animals. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that a crude extract of M. stenopetala has anticonvulsant activity in a lithium–pilocarpine-induced epilepsy model M. stenopetala also reduced depression and anxiety associated with epilepsy that indicates that it is having antidepressant and anxiolytic activity.