PRELIMINARY ANTIPSYSYCHOTIC EVALUATION OF PHASEOLUS LUNATUS HYDROMETANOL SEED EXTRACT IN MICE – PREVENTIVE

ABSTRACT

Effective and practical approaches to primary and universal prevention of psychosis are lacking (Häfner, H., 2004). Several interventions have been tried, but most of the trials have had so few people converting to psychosis in either the treated or the control conditions, that efficacy was impossible to asses. In this reseach study efforts were made to evaluate the protection of Phaseolus lunatus hydromethanol extract against psychosis in both subacute and acute studies using two antipsychotic experimental models, namely: D-amphetamine induced stereotype behaviour and Ketamine induced hyperactivity. In the subacute study three graded doses of the plant extract (100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg) were administered to three different groups of animals. However, the extract did not show any significant effect against amphetamine and ketamine induced psychosis in the subacute study. In the acute study two doses (800mg/kg, 1600mg/kg) were administered. Both doses offered significant protection against d-amphetamine induced psychosis but only the dose of 1600mg/kg offered protection against ketamine induced psychosis.