Grewia asiatica Berry Juice Diminishes Anxiety, Depression, and Scopolamine-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment in Behavioral Experimental Animal Models

Abstract

Grewia asiatica L. fruit natively called phalsa is a popular berry of Pakistan and widely consumed in the form of fresh juices and carbonated drinks in the summer season. The berry is enriched with antioxidants such as phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and vitamin C. Scientifically, it is the least explored berry in terms of neuromodulatory activities, and therefore, in the designed study, chronically fed rats with the different dilutions (5%−30%) of fruit juice were subjected to behavioral assessment for anxiety, depression, and cognition (spatial memory) followed by biochemical analysis of isolated brains. Results revealed a prominent impact of 20 and 30% dilutions of fruit exudate as treated animals showed anxiolytic behavior to central zone (P < 0.05) of open field test (OFT) and open arms of elevated plus maze (EPM) (P < 0.05) in anxiety models. Overall, immobility of rats treated with a higher concentration of exudate in forced swim test (FST) was reduced (P < 0.05) presenting antidepressant-like activity. Moreover, in learning and memory experimental models, the treated animals reversed scopolamine-induced amnesic effects as evident from improved step-through latencies (P < 0.05 vs. scopolamine; passive avoidance test), spontaneous alternation behavior (P < 0.05 vs. scopolamine; Y-maze test), discrimination index (P < 0.05 vs. scopolamine; novel object recognition test), and escape latencies (P < 0.05 vs. scopolamine; Morris water maze). Biochemical studies of isolated brains from treated rats demonstrated significantly elevated levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.05), whereas levels of acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde level (P < 0.05) were reduced, indicating its potential to reduce oxidative damage in the brain and modulation with the cholinergic system. The outcomes of studies support the benefits of phytoconstituents possessed by G. asiatica fruit in the amelioration of neurological disorders that could be due to their antioxidative capacity or due to interaction with GABAergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic systems in the brain.

Chemical characterization and evaluation of the neuroprotective potential of Indigofera sessiliflora through in-silico studies and behavioral tests in scopolamine-induced memory compromised rats

“…The animals were decapitated for brain extraction after anesthetizing them with 5% Isoflurane v/v mixed with synthetic air (Lab-Gas, Multan, Pakistan) by Rodent anesthesia Vaporizing System (Kent Scientific Corporation USA). For the preparation of homogenate, 0.3 g of brain was mixed with 3 ml of phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and subjected to centrifugation (12000 rpm) for 20 min at reduced temperature ( Alqahtani et al, 2020 , Imran et al, 2021 ). The homogenate was evaluated for the levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) according to the method described ( Samad et al, 2019 ) .…”

Saccharina japonica Ethanol Extract Ameliorates Depression/Anxiety-Like Behavior by Inhibiting Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Apoptosis in Dextran Sodium Sulfate Induced Ulcerative Colitis Mice

“…As previously described, all the mice were tested separately in a device, consisting of a black square substrate (40 × 40 cm) and black walls (40 cm) placed in the corners ( 21 , 22 ). After 2 min of acclimation, the free movements of mice were tracked using a video computer system for up to 4 min.…”

The Chemical Composition and Health-Promoting Effects of the Grewia Species—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Eleven studies investigated the antioxidant potential of the Grewia species; eight of them studied G. asiatica [1,24,[46][47][48][49][50][51], one article focused on G. optiva [27], one evaluated G. lasiocarpa [15], and one appraised both G. flava and G. biocolor [52]. The scavenging and reducing potential of various parts of the Grewia species was reported to be dose dependent.…”