Evaluation of the Antidepressant Activity of Griffonia simplicifolia Aqueous Extracts

Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the acute and chronic behavioral and antidepressant effects of aqueous extracts of GS leaves in standardized rats models of depression. Materials and Methods: Aqueous extracts of GS leaves were prepared, and phytoconstituents were determined using appropriate chemical analytical methods. Animals were divided into five groups: The control group received vehicle (saline water 10ml/rat). Amitriptyline (20mg/kg b.w., IP) was used as the positive control or standard group while the treated rats received GS (100, 200, and 400mg/kg body weight i.p). In the acute treatment study, a single dose was administered 30 min prior to testing. For the chronic treatment study, a single dose was administered daily for 14 days. In the chronic dose study, the behaviors of all groups were assessed for antidepressant activity 30 min after the last treatment dose on the 14 th day. Different standardized depression models were used for behavioral tests to evaluate the antidepressant activity, such as forced swim test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) test. Results: The preliminary pharmacological screening with acute dosing exhibited the antidepressant activity of GS , but its antidepressant activity was more enhanced after repeated dosing. In comparison with the acute studies, chronic dose studies displayed a significant antidepressant manifestation in the behavioral patterns when compared to the vehicle controls. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that aqueous extracts of GS may possess an antidepressant activity. Results are represented as mean ±standard error of mean significantly different at *P<0.05 and **P<0.01 compared to vehicle control.