Evaluation of centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant activity of aqueous extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark in albino mice

Background: Cinnamomum Zeylanicum is traditionally used in various diseases because of its medicinal properties. Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is widely used as a spice. Cinnamomum Zeylanicum is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavoring material. One of its uses is in musculoskeletal disorder. Aims: The study aims to evaluate the skeletal muscle relaxant activity of the Aqueous Extract of Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark (AECZB) in albino mice in Comparison with Diazepam. Materials and Methods: Thirty Swiss albino mice (SWR) aged six to seven weeks, of either sex, weighing about 25 - 30 g, were taken, and after acute toxicity studies three different doses were selected. The animals were divided into five different groups. The first group was kept as the control (Normal Saline), second as the standard (Diazepam) and the remaining three groups as Test I, Test II, and Test III, and given different doses of the AECZB. Skeletal muscle relaxant activity (motor coordination) on Rotarod and Locomotor activity on Photoactometer were performed. The results were expressed as mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was carried out by using ANOVA, followed by Dunnet's multiple comparison tests, using primer of biostatistics McGraw-Hill software version 5.0.0.0 (2011). P- values Results: The result from the Actophotometer test and Rotarod test showed that the extract significantly reduced the motor coordination of the tested animals. Conclusions: Our data indicates that AECZB possesses sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant activities.