Phytochemical screening, psychopharmacological and memory-cognitive potentiality of the Stephania japonica methanolic extract: In vivo and in silico approaches

Stephania japonica is a traditional medicinal plant, possesses many pharmacological activities which are reported already; however, the neuropharmacological efficacy is still unclear. Considering this, our study was designed to investigate the neurobehavioral, spatial learning-memory, and motor learning efficacies of the methanolic extract of S. japonica (MSJ) on mice. Phytochemical screening was performed through GC-MS analysis. Anxiolytic efficacy of MSJ was investigated through open field, hole cross, elevated plus maze, and hole board tests separately; whereas antidepressant efficacy was assessed using forced swim and tail suspension tests. Spatial learning and memory, and motor learning efficacies of the mice were investigated through Morris water maze test (MWMT) and single palate reaching task (SPRT) respectively. A dose-dependent significant anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacies (p