Some pharmacological activities of the aqueous fruit extract of Lagenaria siceraria (Mol) Standl (Cucurbitaceae) were investigated using in vivo and in vitro methods. The extract yielded 1.48 % w/w dry matter, which foams on shaken. The oral acute toxicity test gave LD50 of 181 mg/kg, while the brine shrimps lethality test gave LC50 of 66.79 ppm and EC50 of 6.68 at 95 % confidence interval. The extract significantly (p<0.05) increased pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time at 40 and 120 mg/kg. Also, the extract significantly (p<0.05) the number of acetic acid-induced writhing in a dose dependent manner. L. siceraria extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased amphetamine-induced stereotype behaviour in mice. These findings strongly suggest that the extract possessed central nervous system depressant effect. The extract neither evoked contraction nor inhibited spasmogen-induced contraction of isolated guinea pig ileum. Rather, it potentiated agonistic effect of histamine by 30 %. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of L siceraria has been shown to contain potent bioactive compounds with potent analgesic effect and non-specific CNS depressant activities among others and may be of value in psychotherapy as narcoleptic agents and also confirmed some of the folkloric uses.
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