Unveiling the Potential of Sedative Activity of Pongamia pinnata Flowers Using Ethanolic and Aqueous Extract on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) & Albino Rat (Wistar strain) Models

The study was performed to unveil the potential sedative activity of Pongamia pinnata flowers using zebrafish and albino rats as the experimental animal models. The ethanolic extract was used for evaluating behavioural patterns, and the aqueous extracts were used on albino rats for studying the effect on the central nervous system. The parameters such as locomotor activity, light-dark preference, and response to the stimuli were observed by the light-dark test on zebrafish, whereas sleeping time was observed on the albino rats. In both animals, the reduction in activity was noticed after the extraction treatments. The effect was more shown with higher doses of the extracts, which have values comparable to the standard drug. These findings suggest that the Pongamia pinnata flower extracts could serve as natural agents in CNS depressants and can be used as a traditional alternative for sedative drugs.