Abstract
Background and Objective: Numerous natural bioactive compounds have demonstrated functional activity, implying that they could play a significant role in the treatment and management of a variety of chronic illnesses. Flavonoids, which include apigenin, make up the biggest group of naturally occurring polyphenols. Skeletal muscle relaxants are medications that relieve undesired spasms without impairing consciousness or reflexes. This study was done to evaluate the skeletal muscle relaxant property of Apigenin (APG) in experimental animal models. Materials and Methods: Three doses of apigenin (10, 25 and 25 mg kg(-1)) were selected and their muscle relaxant activity was compared against standard diazepam 5 mg kg(-1) using climbing, chimney and modified Kondziela's inverted tests. The results obtained were analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a post-ANOVA Tukey multiple comparisons test. Results: Animals treated with 25 and 50 mg kg(-1) of APG exhibited significant difficulty in climbing up the chain, possibly due to relaxation of the muscles. Similarly, response time in the chimney test was significantly increased in those animals who received a high dose of APG (50 mg kg(-1)) demonstrating the loss of alertness and retarded muscle tone resulting in difficulty with muscle coordination. Additionally, in inverted tests, animals treated with a high dose of APG had a significantly decreased duration of holding capacity on the mesh. A fall in muscle contraction leads to a decrease in holding time. Conclusion: Thus, our findings demonstrate that apigenin, when given orally to mice, has a dose-dependent skeletal muscle relaxant effect.