Journal of Ethnopharmacology 100 (2005) 306–309 Passiflora actinia Hooker extracts and fractions induce catalepsy in mice K.C. Santos a , C.A.M. Santos a , R.M.W. de Oliveira b,∗ a Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Paran´ a, Rua Prefeito Lothario Meissner 3400, Jardim Botˆ anico, 80210-170 Curitiba, Paran´ a, Brazil b Laboratory of Psychopharmacology, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Maring´ a, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maring´ a, Paran´ a, Brazil Received 16 December 2003; received in revised form 19 October 2004; accepted 14 March 2005 Available online 10 May 2005 Abstract Leaves from several Passiflora species are largely employed in the Brazilian folk medicine for its anxiolytic and sedative properties. In behavioral studies, to analyze the tranquillizer action of Passiflora actinia Hooker, it was noteworthy that animals treated with the hydroethanol (HE) and methanol (ME) extracts presented an abnormal postural immobility compared to control animals. That observation led to an investigation of the effects of HE and its fractions on evaluation of catalepsy in mice. The results showed that HE extract, methanol extract, the sequent aqueous crude fractions (AF), and fa, fb and fc chromatographic fractions obtained from Passiflora actinia induced catalepsy in mice. Apparently, the active principles responsible for catalepsy are present in all of the fractions of the extract. © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Passifloraceae; Passiflora actinia; Catalepsy; Flavonoids 1. Introduction Passifloraceae family has about 20 genera and 600 species of plants. Passiflora genus is the largest one with 80 species distributed mostly in American and African continents (Joly, 1998). The aerial parts of Passiflora species have been tra- ditionally used to treat anxiety, insomnia and nervousness (Di Stasi et al., 1885; Wolfman et al., 1994; Dhawan et al., 2004). The principal bioactive compounds described in this genus are C-glycosil flavonoids and -carbolinic alkaloids (Blumenthal et al., 2000). Some reports have pointed out the harman alkaloids (Alonso, 1998), the flavonoid chrysin (Wolfman et al., 1994; Zanoli et al., 2000) or maltol (Speroni and Minghetti, 1988) as the mainly bioactive constituents of Passiflora incarnata Linneau, one of the species of Passi- flora that have been extensively studied chemically and bi- ologically (Soulimani et al., 1997; Dhawan et al., 2001a,b). Recently, Dhawan et al. (2001a,b) have characterized a ben- ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 44 2614313; fax: +55 44 2636231. E-mail address: rmmwoliveira@uem.br (R.M.W. de Oliveira). zoflavone moiety from Passiflora incarnata as the active sub- stance responsible for several central nervous system effects. Passiflora actinia Hooker (vernacular name: ‘maracuj´ a- do-mato’) is a native species widely distributed through Southern Brazil. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) comparative analysis of the active fractions of Passi- flora actinia Hooker has suggested a closer chromatographic profile with Passiflora incarnata (Santos et al., 2003). Fractionation of the methanol–water extract showed that flavonoid fraction was composed mainly of isovitexin while the alkaloid fraction presented very low flavonoid content. In pharmacological studies aimed to analyze the psychotropic actions of Passiflora actinia, Santos et al. (2003) have demonstrated that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of Passi- flora actinia crude hydroalcoholic (HE), methanolic (ME) or methanolic–aqueous fractions (AF) cause sedative effects in mice. These effects were observed as a pronounced decrease in the number of entries in enclosed and open arms of the elevated plus maze (EPM) and a decrease in the in the general motor activity in the open field. Only the aqueous fraction of the ME (30 mg/kg) showed selective anxiolytic activity in the EPM. Interestingly, during the behavior test, it was noted 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2005.03.010