Indian Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 54, October 2016, pp. 664-669 Effect of ethanolic extract of Zingiber officinale Roscoe on Central Nervous System activity in mice Pradeep Kumar Sharma 1 , Vijender Singh 2 , Mohammed Ali 3 & Sokindra Kumar 1 1 R V Northland Institute, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh-203 207, India 2 School of Pharmacy, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201 306, India 3 Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi-110062, India Received 02 March 2015; revised 02 July 2015 Zingiber officinale Roscoe, commonly known as ginger, is a traditional herb used to treat various disorders. In this study, we evaluated potential pharmacological effects of ethanolic extracts of Z. Officinale with respect to central nervous system (CNS) activity in mice. Role of ethanolic extract of ginger on CNS activity in mice was studied using models of elevated plus maze test, barbiturate-induced sleeping time, tail suspension test, hot-plate and tail-flick test. Ginger extract was administered to mice at single doses of 50 and 200 mg/kg, perorally while diazepam (1 mg/kg), morphine (5 mg/kg) and imipramine (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally were used as standard drugs. The results showed that the ginger extract at all dose levels significantly exhibited anxiolytic activity increased the sleeping latency but reduced the sleeping time. Tail suspension test showed that the extract at both the doses was able to induce a significant decrease in the immobility time, similar to imipramine, a recognized antidepressant drug. Tail-flick and hot-plate tests demonstrated antinociceptive property of ginger extract, similar to morphine, a recognized antinociceptive agent. Higher dose level (200 mg/kg) showed better protective effects. Phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract revealed the presence of various phytoconstituents such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, carbohydrates, glycosides, proteins, resins and volatile oils. The possible mechanism by which ginger exhibited the significant beneficial effects on various CNS models in mice could be attributed to its antioxidant potential. Keywords: Antidepressant activity, Antinociceptive activity, Antioxidant, Anxiolytic activity, Depression, Diazepam, Ginger, Imipramine, Locomotor activity, Morphine Central nervous system (CNS) disorders include abnormalities in both physical and psychological domains. Many drugs used for treatment of CNS disorders have side effects and/or poor efficacy and thereby non-compliance. Moreover, for many CNS drugs such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, it takes time to determine whether a particular drug is efficacious in an individual patient 1 . It is by now commonly accepted that under situations of oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O 2 .− ), hydroxyl (OH . ), perhydroxyl (OOH . ) and peroxyl (ROO . ) radicals are generated. These reactive oxygen species play an important role in degenerative or pathological processes, such as aging 1 , cancer 2 , coronary heart disease 3 , Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegenerative disorders 4 , atherosclerosis, cataracts and inflammation 5 . Oxidative damage was considered a likely cause of age associated brain dysfunction as the brain is vulnerable to oxidative stress due to a relatively high rate of free radical generation without commensurate levels of antioxidative defenses 4,6,7 . Plants are potential source of natural antioxidants that continue to serve as leads for development of novel drugs. Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), commonly called Ginger, is an important plant with several ethnomedicinal and nutritional values. is used extensively worldwide as a spice, flavouring agent and herbal remedy 8-10 . Traditionally, ginger is used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Chinese, Arabian, Africans, Caribbean and many other medicinal systems to cure a variety of diseases viz., asthma, constipation, cough, dyspepsia, indigestion, inflammation, loss of appetite, nausea, palpitaion, pain and vomiting. Z. officinale has been reported already for its analgesic, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti- oxidant, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, larvicidal, nephroprotective and neuroprotective 4,8-11,13-19 . _____________ *Correspondence: Phone: + 91 120 2666444; Fax: +91 120 2666445 E-mail: pradeepbsr2000@yahoo.com