Evaluation of the antidepressant activity of Moringa oleifera alone and in combination with fluoxetine.
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Date
2015-10
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Abstract
Background: The prevalence of mental depression has increased in recent years, and has become a serious health problem in
most countries of the world, including India. Due to the high cost of antidepressant synthetic drugs and their accompanying
side effects, the discovery of safer antidepressant herbal remedies is on the rise. Moringa oleifera (MO) (drumstick) has
been used in traditional folk medicine, and in Ayurveda, it is considered as a valuable remedy for treating nervous system
disorders as well as memory enhancing agent. Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the acute and chronic
behavioral and antidepressant effects of alcoholic extracts of MO leaves in standardized mouse models of depression.
Materials and Methods: Alcoholic extracts of MO (MOE) leaves were prepared, and phytoconstituents were determined
using appropriate chemical analytical methods. Following preliminary dose‑finding toxicity studies, the biological activity
of MOE was tested in Swiss albino mice. Animals were divided into six groups: Groups 1 and 2 served as vehicle control
and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) standard control, respectively. Groups 3 and 4 served as treatment groups and were orally
administered ethanolic MOE at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Groups 5 and 6, respectively, received
combination doses of MOE 100 mg/kg + 10 mg fluoxetine, and MOE 200 mg/kg + 10 mg/kg fluoxetine. Following
acute and 14 days chronic treatments, all animals were tested using behavioral models of depression, such as forced
swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and locomotor activity test (LAT). Results: Significant changes in all tested
activities (FST, TST, LAT) of chronically dosed mice were observed, especially in animals given simultaneously combined
doses of 200 mg/kg/day MOE + 10 mg/kg/day fluoxetine for 14 days. The antidepressant effect of MOE may have been
invoked through the noradrenergic‑serotonergic neurotransmission pathway, which is the hallmark of selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) class of drugs. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that combined administration
of MOE with low doses of fluoxetine or other SSRI drugs seems to have promising potential.
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Keywords
Fluoxetine, forced swim test in mice, locomotor activity, Moringa oleifera, tail suspension test
Citation
Kaur Ginpreet, Invally Mihir, Sanzagiri Resham, Buttar Harpal S. Evaluation of the antidepressant activity of Moringa oleifera alone and in combination with fluoxetine. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 2015 Oct-Dec; 6(4): 273-279.