Pharmacological studies on the antinociceptive, anxiolytic and antidepressant activity of Tinospora crispa

Pharmacological studies were performed in mice on the methanol extract of Tinospora crispa (TC), and of its hexane (HF) and chloroform (CF) fractions. Significant antinociceptive activity was observed for TC, HF, and CF in the acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced paw licking tests. Anxiolytic and antidepressant activity were assessed using the open field, hole board, and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests. TC, HF, and CF demonstrated a significant decrease in spontaneous locomotor activity. They also showed an increase in the number of head-dippings in the hole board test, suggesting decreased fearfulness. TC, and most of its fractions, showed a significant increase of the time spent in the opened arm of the EPM, indicating reduced anxiety. A computational study (PASS prediction, molecular docking and ADME/T analyses) was performed to identify the phytochemicals responsible for activity. Syringin and secoisolariciresinol, displayed a strong predictive binding affinity towards the cyclooxygenase COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes and the KcsA potassium channel while rumphioside B showed the highest predicted binding affinity towards the human serotonin receptor. This provided some support to explain the observed in-vivo antinociceptive, anxiolytic and antidepressant effects and
the traditional use of T. crispa as a remedy for pain.