ACTIONS OF ASARONE ON BEHAVIOR, STRESS, AND HYPERPYREXIA, AND ITS INTERACTION WITH CENTRAL STIMULANTS

¹ Department of Pharmacology, S. M. S. Medical College, Jaipur, India

Asarone, one of the active principles of the volatile oil of an Indian indigenous plant Acorns calamus Linn, was found to reduce spontaneous motor activity of rats and, even in low doses, caused reduction in anxiety without duffing the perception of trained rats. It brought about a long lasting calming effect in monkeys, which was produced more quickly than with reserpine. It caused hypothermia in mice and, even in low doses, it counteracted LSD-25-induced hyperpyrexia. In rats subjected to acute cold stress, asarone prevented the depletion of adrenal ascorbic acid showing thereby that it is an agent specific in counteracting stress. In all the above-mentioned experiments, the effect of asarone resembled that of reserpine and chlorpromazine.

Asarone was able to counteract promptly the stimulation produced by central stimulants liked-amphetamine, LSD-25, methylphenidate and iproniazid, but only partially antagonized the stimulant effect of imipramine. It has been suggested that the mechanism of action of asarone is different from that of reserpine.