Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the antidepressant effect of methanol extract of smokeless tobacco and identify its bioactive compounds.
 Methods: Adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups of five rats each: normal control group, standard (reference) control group as well as 100, 200 and 500 mg/kg extract group. The extract, standard drug (imipramine) and normal saline were administered via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. The rats were subjected to forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) to assess the antidepressant effect of methanol extract of smokeless tobacco. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the bioactive compounds of the extract.
 Results: The oral LD50 of the extract was > 2000 mg/kg. Significant decrease in immobility time was observed after single administration of imipramine (p < 0.05). The extract significantly and dosedependently decreased the immobility time, but increased climbing and swimming times, when compared with normal control group (p < 0.05). The immobility time of stressed rats regardless of sex was significantly and dose-dependently lowered, relative to normal control group (p < 0.05). Four major compounds were identified in the extract: nicotine (45.88 %); 1,5-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidinone (23.00 %), nhexadecanoic acid (11.31 %) and vitamin A aldehyde (9.38 %).
 Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the methanol extract of smokeless tobacco possesses antidepressant and mood-elevating effects in rats. However, its use should be discouraged since it contains a number of hazardous and carcinogenic components such as N-nitroso compounds and benzo(a)pyrene which are categorized as Class-I carcinogens.

Highlights

  • Smokeless tobacco, known as chewing tobacco or snuff, is re-emerging as a popular form of tobacco among male adolescents, but very little is known about its deleterious effects on health [1]

  • Shammah is a traditional form of smokeless tobacco that is commonly used in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan [2]

  • The methanol extract of smokeless tobacco was first diluted with methanol (1:100, v/v) and injected into the system using autosampler A1/AS 3000 working in the splitless mode

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Summary

Introduction

Known as chewing tobacco or snuff, is re-emerging as a popular form of tobacco among male adolescents, but very little is known about its deleterious effects on health [1]. Shammah is a traditional form of smokeless tobacco that is commonly used in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan [2]. It is known as tombak in Sudan, shammah in Saudi Arabia, suns in Sweden and maras in Turkey [3]. The. Adult Wistar rats of either sex, weighing between 150 and 200 g and aged 6 - 8 weeks were obtained from Central Experimental Animal House (CEAH) of Jazan University and used for this study. The rats were housed in iron cages under optimum conditions: 12 h day/12 h night cycle, 25 °C and 40 - 60 % humidity. They were allowed free access to standard rat feed and clean water.

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