Neuropharmacological insights of African oil palm leaf through experimental assessment in rodent behavioral model and computer-aided mechanism

The present study aimed to investigate the neuropharmacological potential of methanol extract of African oil palm or Elaeis guineensis (MEEG) in Swiss albino mice and through computer-aided model. To identify the secondary metabolites in MEEG, standard phytochemical and GC-MS analyses were performed. Antidepressant activity of MEEG was assessed by forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in Swiss albino mice. Besides, elevated plus maze (EPM), hole board test (HBT) and light-dark test (LDT) were used to investigate anxiolytic activities while for assessing sleeping disorder, open field test (OFT) and hole cross test (HCT) were performed. Additionally, computational and ADME/T analysis was performed using Schrödinger Maestro (v11.1) software and admetSAR online tools. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses revealed the existence of several secondary metabolites in MEEG. The oral administration of MEEG significantly reduced the immobility time in FST and TST. Similarly, promising dose-dependent anxiolytic effects were noted in all corresponding tests as compared to the control. As well, a significant decrease in the locomotion activities in experimental animals was noted during the OFT and HCT analysis. In case of computational and toxicological studies, most of the selected compounds were found considerably safe. Among the safe compounds, squalene showed promising binding energy for the antidepressant and anxiolytic activities, while stearic acid showed promising effects for the locomotion activity. The outcomes of the investigation recommend MEEG as a potential source of therapeutic candidate for the management of neurological disorders.