Antipsychotic Effects of Sorghum Bicolor (JOBELYN) in the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder with a chronic and debilitating course. It is the archetypal psychotic disorder with a prevalence of about 1% worldwide. The treatment of this psychotic disorder has evolved over the years after the discovery of Chlorpromazine. Despite the availability of several treatment options in practice, research into the possibility of creating a drug breakthrough continues.

Sorghum bicolor, a naturally growing plant rich in several phytochemical including proanthocyanidins, anthocyanidins, apigenin, proapigeninidin, apigeninidin, luteolin, naringenins, flavonoids, and polyphenols (Omogbiya et al 2012) and prepared as a capsule called Jobelyn. This plant has been found to be of health benefit to the people of West Africa who traditionally prepare its leaf for various nutritional and health reasons. The anti-inflammatory and haematocrit boosting properties have been well documented and utilized though the precise mechanism of action is still not entirely known (Benson et al. 2013). Its usefulness in neuropsychiatric conditions has recently been explored albeit through animal studies.

In animals, Jobelyn has been suggested to have anti-amnestic property which has been suggested to be related to its antioxidant activity (Umukoro et al. 2013a). Other studies also suggested that Jobelyn has an anti-aggressive effect (Umukoro et al. 2012) and antidepressant like property probably related to its stimulation of serotonergic pathways (Umukoro et al. 2013b). Jobelyn has also been suggested to exhibit anti-psychotic-like activity with the benefit of lacking extra-pyramidal side effect risks and therefore being postulated to be of possible benefit in the symptomatic relief of psychosis (Omogbiya et al. 2012).

There is however limited information in terms of the suggested neuropsychiatric conditions especially in humans despite the recognized safety profile consequent upon its use as haematocrit boosting agent. This study therefore aims at exploring the usefulness of Jobelyn in the treatment of patients with Schizophrenia as an adjunct to standard treatment.