Centella asiatica (CA) is being used in traditional medicine in the treatment of several neurological disorders including epilepsy. The present study is carried out to investigate the anticonvulsant effect of different extracts of CA with particular reference to protein metabolism in different regions of rat brain (Cerebellum, Cerebral Cortex, Hippocampus and Pons-medulla) during Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)- induced epilepsy. The rats were randomly divided into 8 groups having 6 in each group: 1. Control group received Saline, 2. PTZ-induced epileptic group (60 mg/kg b.w./ i.p/ 1 day) 3.Epileptic group pretreated with n-Hexane extract (n-HE), 4. Epileptic group pretreated with Chloroform extract (CE), 5. Epileptic group pretreated with nbutanol extract (n-BE), 6. Epileptic group pretreated with Ethyl acetate (EAE) extract, 7. Epileptic group pretreated with Aqueous(AE) extract and 8. Epileptic group pretreated with Diazepam (DP; Reference control) (2 mg/kg b.w/i.p). The CA extracts were administered at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight orally for one week. Selected parameters representing protein (total, soluble and structural proteins) metabolism was studied in different regions of brain during induced epilepsy and on pre-treatment with different extracts of CA. PTZ treatment in a convulsive dose of 60 mg/kg significantly reduced total and soluble proteins content in all the brain regions compared to controls. Whereas significantly higher levels found in the PTZ treated epileptic group. Treatment with different extracts of CA reversed the alterations that have occurred during PTZ-induced epilepsy. Hence, it is evident that the different bioactive factors of CA offered protection against PTZ-induced epilepsy.
