Parthenium hysterophorus induced changes in neurotransmitter levels in mouse brain.

Parthenium hysterophorus (10 mg/0.1 ml/kg body weight) was administered daily to 20 adult male mice and levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine, noradrenaline and dopamine in total brain were quantified on days 31 and 61 after administration. All neurotransmitter levels were decreased significantly, with the effects more prominent in the later part of the experiment. The results suggest that Parthenium hysterophorus interferes in the functioning of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis by impairing the biogenic amine levels which may in turn affect the physiology of the peripheral endocrine glands.