Antidepressant-like Potential of Sida tiagii Bhandari Fruits in Mice

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of different fruit extracts of Sida tiagii Bhandari (Family: Malvaceae), popularly known as Kharinti, on depressive behaviors in mice using forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST).Extracts were prepared by partitioning of 90% alcoholic extract with n-hexane (HS) and ethyl acetate (EAS) successively and were administered orally for 20 successive days to separate groups of Swiss young male albino mice.HS showed a dose dependent effect on immobility period while residual ethanolic extract (RES) showed the most potent antidepressant effect at all three doses.Chronic administration of EAS showed a variable effect (ineffective in TST while reversal in FST) at 200 and 500 mg/kg doses.RES significantly reduced the immobility times of mice in both FST and TST, without any significant effect on locomotive activity at all doses (100, 200, 500 mg/kg).The efficacy of RES was found to be comparable to that of imipramine (15 mg/kg p. o.) and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg p. o.).Sulpiride (50 mg/kg i. p.; a selective D 2 -receptor antagonist), baclofen [10 mg/kg, i. p., a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA B ) agonist] and prazosin (62.5 mg/kg i. p.; an α 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist) significantly attenuated the extract (RES) induced antidepressantlike effect in TST.The monoamine oxidase inhibiting effect and lipid peroxidation inhibiting effect of Sida tiagii (S. tiagii) may contribute favorably to the antidepressant-like activity.Thus, it is concluded that S. tiagii extract may possess an antidepressant-like effect.