Ethanolic Ficus carica leaf extract supplementation affects the behavior of male albino mice

Abstract

Ficus carica has been known for its medicinal benefits for the treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory problems but little information is available regarding the effects of its leaf extracts on behavior. Present study was designed to report the effect of Ficus carica leaf extract on the selected aspects of male albino mouse behavior. Six week old male albino mice were orally treated for 14 days either with 100 mg/ml solvent/ Kg body weight of Ficus carica leaf extract or with commercially available saline solution (Otsuka, Pakistan). A battery of neurological tests (Morris Water Maze, Elevated Plus maze, Novel object test) were applied in order to determine the effect of Ficus carica extract on exploratory behaviour, learning and memory in male albino mice. It was observed that oral supplementation of 100mg/ ml solvent/Kg body weight of Ficus carica leaf extract for 2 weeks enhanced neuromuscular co-ordination as they had significantly higher mean speed (P = 0.001) than control group during elevated plus maze test. Morris water maze and novel object test performance remained unaffected (P > 0.05) when compared between Ficus carica leaf extract treated and untreated mice.