Anxiolytic and antidepressant-like activities of aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica. - GreenMedInfo Summary

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an aqueous extract ofA. Juss. () flower had anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects in the stressed rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to one of two experimental groups: control or stress. The stress groups were received restraint stress for 3 h. The stressed rats were administered a vehicle, diazepam, fluoxetine, andat doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg BW for 30 days. The elevated plus-maze test (EPMT), the forced swimming test (FST), and the open field test (OFT) were used to assess anxiolytic and antidepressant-like behaviors. In the EPMT, the percentage of the number of open arm entries and the duration spent in open arms were measured. These measurements were considerably enhanced in the stressed rats treated with diazepam andflower extract at a dose of 500 mg/kg BW. Furthermore, the stressed rats given fluoxetine andflower extract at all doses employed in this study showed a significant reduction in the amount of time the rats were immobilized in the FST. However, there was no significant difference in spontaneous locomotor activity between any of the groups. Additionally, the stressed rats treated with either positive control medications orflower extract exhibited significantly higher brain dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) levels, but lower blood cortisol levels as compared to the stressed rats treated with vehicle. Moreover,flower extract had no harmful effect on the stressed rats' liver tissue.