Behavioural and biochemical indications of the antidepressant activities of essential oils from Monodora myristica (Gaertn) seed and Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) fruit in rats

Abstract

Monodora myristica and Xylopia aethiopica are two underutilised spices that are hypothesized to be important in the management and treatment of certain stress-induced diseases such as depression. The present study was designed to test the anti-depressant effects of the essential oils of Monodora myristica (EOMM) and Xylopia aethiopica (EOXA) and the possible underlying mechanisms in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) - induced depression in the rat. Forty-two male Wistar rats were assigned to seven groups (n = 6); group I received corn oil (p.o, unstressed control), group II (stressed control) administered corn oil, groups III-IV received EOMM (150 & 300 mg/kg, p.o), groups V – VI received EOXA (150 & 300 mg/kg, p.o) whereas group VII had fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, p.o in d/w). Corn oil served as the vehicle for the delivery of the essential oils and the doses were administered via gastric intubation to rat once daily for six consecutive weeks from the 2nd week. Open-field, tail suspension (TST), and forced swimming (FST) tests were used to evaluate the behavioural activity in addition to the biochemical parameters (catalase, superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, monoamine oxidase, corticosterone, protein carbonyl compound, malondialdehyde and nitric oxide). The result showed that the administration of EOMM (150 and 300 mg/kg b.wt.) and EOXA (150 and 300 mg/kg b.wt.) during CUMS significantly ameliorated these behavioural activities and some biochemical parameters in rats. EOMM and EOXA exhibited significant antidepressant-like effects in a rat model of CUMS. At treatment doses of especially 300 mg/kg b.wt, the antidepressant effects of EOMM and EOXA are comparable to a standard antidepressant drug, fluoxetine (Prozac ™). The EOXA especially at a dose of 300 mg/kg b.wt is more effective than EOMM even at 300 mg/kg dose level in ameliorating depression in stressed rats. In conclusion, the study revealed that both the EOXA and EOMM relieved depression-like states through the mitigation of oxidative stress with a reduction in serum Corticosterone (CORT) and brain Monoamine Oxidase-A (MAO-A) levels.

Antidepressant‐like effects of aqueous extracts of miswak ( Salvadora persica ) and date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ) on depression‐like behaviors using CUMS model in male rats

“…In consistence with previous studies (Ekeanyanwu et al, 2021; Thakare et al, 2021), the current study illustrated that the CUMS significantly increased the immobility time of the rats in the FST, indicating behavioral despair, increased the time spent in closed arms in EPM test, and reduced exploratory and locomotor activity in the OFT observed in a significant decrease in the number of squares crossed, rearing activity, and grooming time. Treatment with aqueous extracts of miswak and date palm and their combination reduced the immobility time in the FST.…”

“…In consistence with previous studies (Ekeanyanwu et al, 2021;Thakare et al, 2021), the current study illustrated that the CUMS significantly increased the immobility time of the rats in the FST, in-…”

“…Oxidative stress products are useful for diagnosing and assessing depressed symptoms, as well as determining the efficacy of antidepressants. ROS are detoxified by antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and nonenzymatic reduced glutathione (Ekeanyanwu et al, 2021).…”

“…Psychological stress stimulates pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including TNF‐α, IL‐1, and IL‐6 in the cortex, hypothalamus, and hippocampus (Zheng et al, 2019). Stimulation of pro‐inflammatory pathways leads to inflammatory disorders (Ibrahim et al, 2020) and is linked to major depression, decreased neurogenesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and HPA axis dysfunction (Ekeanyanwu et al, 2021). Treatment with studied extracts and their combination significantly reduced the level of plasma inflammatory mediators (TNF‐α and IL‐6), which were stimulated by CUMS‐induced depression‐like behaviors.…”

“…Increased ROS formation has the potential to disrupt the organ- by antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and nonenzymatic reduced glutathione (Ekeanyanwu et al, 2021).…”