Antidepressant properties of aqueous acerate from <i>Gladiolus Dalenii</i> corms

Abstract

Background: Gladiolus dalenii Van Geel (Iridaceae) has been used for the treatment of depression and psychotic disorders in African traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the aqueous extract from the corm of Gladiolus dalenii and its possible mechanisms of action. Materials and Methods:We assessed the antidepressant properties of G. dalenii corm aqueous extract in mice, using the open field, forced swimming, and tail suspension tests. Spontaneous locomotor activity of mice given various doses of G. dalenii extract (per os) was determined in the open field, whereas immobility was evaluated in the other two tests. Results: Extract maximal effect was observed at 15 mg/kg, as mice displayed a marked reduction in immobility time in both the forced swimming test (80%) and the tail suspension test (66%). In further studies aimed at investigating the mechanism of action of G. dalenii extract, the latter significantly antagonized the effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA, 75 mg/kg) at both the doses 15 mg/kg (p<0.001) and 150 mg/kg (p=0.004). A significant reduction in immobility time was also observed following treatment with combinations of a sub-effective dose of extract (7.5 mg/kg) with either the NMDA receptor antagonist D-(-)-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (D-AP7, 50 mg/kg, P< 0.001), the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (5 and 10 mg/kg, P< 0.001and P< 0.001 respectively), and the multi-target antidepressant imipramine (5 and 10 mg/kg, P< 0.001and P< 0.001 respectively). Moreover, neither G. dalenii extract alone nor its combinations with NMDA ligands imipramine and fluoxetine enhanced mouse spontaneous locomotor activity. Conclusion: Altogether, these results suggest that G. dalenii has antidepressant properties, probably mediated through interactions with NMDA, serotonin and/ or noradrenergic systems, and may justify its use in traditional medicine.

Medicinal plants used in managing diseases of the respiratory system among the Luo community: an appraisal of Kisumu East Sub-County, Kenya

“…A 400 mg/kg dose of the iso saline leaf extract administered intraperitoneally in Sprague-Dawley rats significantly elevated serum levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, and significantly lowered the blood glucose levels [ 119 ]. Gladiolus dalenii Van Geel Epilepsy, diarrhea, nasopharyngeal infection, intestinal spams [ 120 ] Antibacterial activity against S. pyogenes, K. pneumoniae (95% ethanolic extract) [ 121 ] Antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger (1:1 dichloromethane/methanol (1:1) extract) [ 122 ] in vitro (Agar well diffusion method) [ 121 ], in vitro (Disc diffusion method) [ 122 ] Reported to contain cytotoxic substances that affect mitotic active tissue [ 123 ]. There was no indication of mutagenesis when dichloromethane and 70% ethanol extracts were tested on S. typhimurium (Ames test) (TA98) [ 124 ] Clerodendrum myricoides (Hochst.)…”

Recent Studies on Anti-Depressant Bioactive Substances in Selected Species from the Genera Hemerocallis and Gladiolus: A Systematic Review

“…Herbs are a source of safe phytochemicals with a beneficial effect on CNS disorders [168]. The prophylaxis and adjuvant treatment of depression are based on raw materials from many plant species e.g., representatives of the genera Aloysia [170], Crocus [171][172][173][174][175], Gladiolus [176][177][178], Hemerocallis [179,180], Hypericum [181][182][183][184], Lavandula [185][186][187], Melisa [188][189][190], and Valeriana [191][192][193]. The observations described in this paper fit in the search for new antidepressants based on the pathogenetic mechanisms of depression summed up in a review by Ates-Alagoz et al [135] and Kalkman [51].…”

“…Similarly, other results reported by these authors indicate that aqueous extracts from the G. dalenii corm applied per o.s. had an antidepressant effect in mice, which was assessed in common experimental models of depression, namely OFT, FST, and TST [178]. This effect appeared to be even stronger than that of the common antidepressants imipramine and fluoxetine as well as the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D-(-)-2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoic acid (D-AP7).…”

The Potential of Sub-Saharan African Plants in the Management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections: A Review

“…van Geel Southern Africa-Malawi (Baumann, 2005), Zimbabwe (Plowes and Drummond, 1990) Chest ailments (Hutchings et al, 1996a(Hutchings et al, , 1996b, depression and psychotic disorders (Ngoupaye et al, 2013a), epilepsy (Ngoupaye et al, 2013b) Corms Saponins, phenolics and flavonoids (Hutchings et al, 1996a(Hutchings et al, , 1996b) Saponins have anti-HIV-1 activity (Sakurai et al, 2004); they inhibit protease activity (Yang et al, 1999) Flavonoids have HIV inhibitory activities (Pasetto et al, 2014a(Pasetto et al, , 2014b Lamiaceae Coughs, respiratory ailments, fever Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962a, 1962b;Scott et al, 2004), cardioprotective (Mnonopi et al, 2011) Leaves Volatile oil contains many monoterpenoids, including carvone, limonene, menthone and menthol (Bruneton, 1995) Terpenoids inhibit HIV-1 (IC 50 : 0.1-3.11 μg/mL) (Bruno et al, 2002;Saidi et al, 2008;Shahidul Alam et al, 2000) Menthone offers minimum inhibition against HIV-1 (Mishra et al, 2002) Menthol is a penetration enhancer for AZT (Narishetty and Panchagnula, 2004) Lamiaceae…”