SCREENING FOR ANTIDEPRESSANT-LIKE ACTIVITY OF CONVOLVULUS PLURICAULIS CHOISY IN MICE

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of petroleum ether, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions of total ethanolic extract of Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy (Family: Convolvulaceae) on depression in mice. Petroleum ether fraction (25 and 50 mg/kg), chloroform fraction (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) and ethyl acetate fraction (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) were administered orally for 10 successive days in separate groups of Swiss young male albino mice. The effects of extracts on immobility periods of mice were assessed in forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). Effects of reserpine (2 mg/kg i.p.), sulpiride (50 mg/kg i.p.), prazosin (62.5 µg/kg i.p.) and p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg i.p.) on antidepressant-like effect of the extracts in TST was also studied. The antidepressant-like effect of the extracts was compared to that of imipramine (15 mg/kg p.o.) and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg p.o.) administered for 10 successive days. Only chloroform fraction in doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg significantly reduced the immobility time of mice in both FST and TST. This fraction was without any significant effect on locomotor activity of mice. Its efficacy was found to be comparable to that of imipramine and fluoxetine administered for 10 successive days. The chloroform fraction reversed reserpine-induced extension of immobility period of mice in FST and TST. Prazosin, sulpiride and p-chlorophenylalanine significantly attenuated the chloroform fraction-induced antidepressant-like effect in TST. Chloroform fraction of total ethanolic extract of Convolvulus pluricaulis elicited a significant antidepressant-like effect in mice by interaction with adrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems.