EVALUATION OF MEDHOVIKAS, A HERBAL FORMULATION FOR ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTIVITY

Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the antidepressant activity of Medhovikas and its activity is compared with that of Imipramine and Mentat. The MAO-A and MAO-B levels were estimated by the Biochemical Method. Methods: There are several methods available to evaluate the antidepressant activity. In the present study the antidepressant activity is assessed using behavioural despair method such as Forced swim test (FST) in mice. Imipramine is used as a positive control in doses of 10mg/kg and 20mg/kg, Similar activity was also observed with Medhovikas in doses of 200 and 400mg/kg. Biochemical method in rats to estimate the levels of MAO-A and MAO-B, the biogenic amine 5-HT is oxidized by MAO to 5-hydrixy indole acetic acid (5-HIAA) as a major metabolite and is excreted in urine. Hence the reduction in the urinary 5-HIAA level from normal after treatment with the test compound was taken as a measure of it’s MAO inhibitory action. Results : The antidepressant activity of 200 and 400mg/kg of Medhovikas was equivalent to that of 10 and 20mg/kg of imipramine respectively. It significantly reduced the duration of immobility indicating antidepressant activity. Significant decrease in brain MAO-A and MAO-B levels were observed which was determined by the Biochemical method. Conclusion: Antidepressant activity was probably shown by inhibiting MAO-A and MAO-B, There are several methods to detect the monoamine oxidaise inhibitor activity of substances. These methods are based on biochemical estimation of biogenic amines and /or their pharmacological responses. This shows that Medhovikas is a potential antidepressant and the probable mechanism of action is in interest for further investigation. Keywords: Antidepressant, Forced swim test, Imipramine,MAO-A & B, Medhovika and Mentat