Abstract
The benefit of malt extract in clonidine-induced depression was previously reported. The present study aimed to explore its mechanism of action. Animals were classified into normal and depressed rats. Induction of depression was done by i.p. injection of clonidine (0.8 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. Depressed rats were sub-classified into 6 groups treated for one week as follows: Group I received 1% tween 80 p.o. (control group); the remaining groups received malt extract (1250 mg/kg; p.o) alone or preceded (30 min) by i.p. injection of spiperone (0.03 mg/kg), sulpiride (7.5 mg/kg), phentolamine (5 mg/kg) or propranolol (7.5 mg/kg), respectively. Forced swimming test (FST) was carried out 24 h thereafter. Brains were isolated for estimation of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine contents as well as inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. Clonidine increased total immobility time and decreased struggling time in FST parallel to alterations in brain neurotransmitters, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. Treatment with malt extract reversed clonidine-induced behavioral and neurochemical changes. Such effects were partly antagonized in groups pre-treated with spiperone or sulpiride. Serotoninergic and dopaminergic transmission are involved in the antidepressant effects of malt extract in addition to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Key words: Depression, malt extract, spiperone, sulpiride, neurotransmitters, cytokines.
Highlights
Depression is a common prevalent and major disorder nowadays, often associated with psychological, behavioral and physiological symptoms (Cryan et al, 2002)
Effect of pretreatment with spiperone, phentolamine, propranolol or sulpiride on the behavior of depressed rats treated with malt extract in forced swimming test
Data of the present study revealed that clonidine significantly decreased latency to first immobility of rats by 45.83% as compared with normal group (50.00 ± 3.16 s) while treatment of depressed rats with malt extract increased the time to first immobility by 63.33% as compared with that of control depressed rats (Figure 1A)
Summary
Depression is a common prevalent and major disorder nowadays, often associated with psychological, behavioral and physiological symptoms (Cryan et al, 2002). It is characterized by altered mood and intellectual functions associated with frequent thoughts of death or suicide (Paykel, 2006). Patients with major depressive disorders (MDD) have been consistently shown to have altered levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in circulation (Miller et al, 2009; Dowlati et al, 2010; Janelidze et al, 2011). The use of herbal medicine in psychiatric disorders has increased immensely in the recent years owing to their efficiency and lower side effects as compared to traditional drugs (Beaubrun and Gray, 2000)
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