EVALUATION OF ANTI-DEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAVES IN MICE

Authors

  • DEEPALI THAKUR Department of Pharmacology, St. Soldier Institute of Pharmacy, Lidhran Campus, Behind NIT (R. E. C.), Jalandhar –Amritsar by pass, NH-1, Jalandhar-144011, Punjab, India
  • AJEET PAL SINGH Department of Pharmacology, St. Soldier Institute of Pharmacy, Lidhran Campus, Behind NIT (R. E. C.), Jalandhar –Amritsar by pass, NH-1, Jalandhar-144011, Punjab, India
  • AMAR PAL SINGH Department of Pharmacology, St. Soldier Institute of Pharmacy, Lidhran Campus, Behind NIT (R. E. C.), Jalandhar –Amritsar by pass, NH-1, Jalandhar-144011, Punjab, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ijcpr.2026v18i2.8017

Keywords:

Antidepressant, Fluoxetine, Piper methysticum, Oxidative stress, Major depressive disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study to evaluate the anti-depressant activity of ethanolic extract of Piper methysticum leaves in mice.

Methods: The animals were grouped into four groups, each comprising 6 mice. One of the group as control, receiving normal saline water and second group as standard, receiving fluoxetine, while the remaining two groups were administered the test drug (300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg). All drug administrations were conducted orally 1 h prior to the acute study test procedure and daily for a 14 d period for the chronic study.

Results: The administration of Piper methysticum doses resulted in a notable reduction in immobility duration during the Tail Suspension Test. In the Actophotometer assessment, mice exhibited a statistically significant increase in motor activity compared to the control group. The findings indicated that the ethanolic extract of Piper methysticum leaves at a dose of 600 mg/kg led to a significant increase in reduced glutathione and catalase activity. Simultaneously, there was a decrease in plasma corticosterone, lipid peroxidation, plasma nitrite, and protein concentration levels.

Conclusion: The antidepressant efficacy of Piper methysticum at a dosage of 600 mg/kg in mice is comparable to that of fluoxetine.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Ghoneim MM, O’Hara MW. Depression and postoperative complications: an overview. BMC Surg. 2016 Feb 2;16:5. doi: 10.1186/s12893-016-0120-y.

2. Chaabna K, Cheema S, Abraham A, Maisonneuve P, Lowenfels AB, Mamtani R. The state of population health research performance in the Middle East and North Africa: a meta research study. Syst Rev. 2021;10(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s13643-020-01552-x, PMID 33388080.

3. Glynn LM, Davis EP, Sandman CA. New insights into the role of perinatal HPA-axis dysregulation in postpartum depression. Neuropeptides. 2013;47(6):363-70. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2013.10.007, PMID 24210135.

4. Jeffrey J, Do MT, Hajal N, Lin YH, Linonis R, Grossman MS. Using web-based technology to improve depression screening in primary care settings. BMJ Open Qual. 2021;10(1):e001028. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-001028, PMID 33589504.

5. Chuang CY, Shi YC, You HP, Lo YH, Pan TM. Antidepressant effect of GABA-rich Monascus-fermented product on forced swimming rat model. J Agric Food Chem. 2011;59(7):3027-34. doi: 10.1021/jf104239m, PMID 21375324.

6. Hamid HA, Ramli AN, Yusoff MM. Indole alkaloids from plants as potential leads for antidepressant drugs: a mini review. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:96. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00096, PMID 28293192.

7. Dhingra D, Chhillar R. Antidepressant-like activity of ellagic acid in unstressed and acute immobilization-induced stressed mice. Pharmacol Rep. 2012;64(4):796-807. doi: 10.1016/S1734-1140(12)70875-7, PMID 23087132.

8. Moragrega IS, Rios JL. Medicinal plants in the treatment of depression: evidence from preclinical studies. Planta Med. 2021;87(9):656-85. doi: 10.1055/a-1338-1011, PMID 33434941.

9. Savage KM, Stough CK, Byrne GJ, Scholey A, Bousman C, Murphy J. Kava for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder (K-GAD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:493. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-0986-5, PMID 26527536.

10. Dragull K, Yoshida WY, Tang CS. Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species: relevance to cyto(neuro)toxic events and neurologic disorders. J Agric Food Chem. 2012;59(3):207-13. doi: 10.1021/jf203345p.

11. Khan MA, Tiwari SB, Gupta H, Noor H. Evaluation of anxiolytic and antidepressant potential of hydro-alcoholic leaves extract of Azadirachta indica in albino rats. Pharmacologyonline. 2020;3:207-13.

12. Yeung KS, Hernandez M, Mao JJ, Haviland I, Gubili J. Herbal medicine for depression and anxiety: a systematic review with assessment of potential psycho-oncologic relevance. Phytother Res. 2018;32(5):865-91. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6033, PMID 29464801.

13. Liu J, Wang X, Shigenaga MK, Yeo HC, Mori A, Ames BN. Immobilization stress causes oxidative damage to lipid protein and DNA in the brain of rats. FASEB J. 1996;10(13):1532-8. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.10.13.8940299, PMID 8940299.

14. Qin B, Zhou X, Michael KD, Liu Y, Whittington C, Cohen D. Psychotherapy for depression in children and adolescents: study protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2015;5(2):e005918. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005918, PMID 25681311.

15. Liu L, Liu C, Wang Y, Wang P, Li Y, Li B. Herbal medicine for anxiety, depression and insomnia. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2015;13(4):481-93. doi: 10.2174/1570159X1304150831122734, PMID 26412068.

16. Shoeb A, Chowta MN, Pallempati G, Rai A, Singh A. Evaluation of antidepressant activity of vanillin in mice. Indian J Pharmacol. 2013;45(2):141-4. doi: 10.4103/0253-7613.108292, PMID 23716889.

17. Soares RB, Dinis Oliveira RJ, Oliveira NG. An updated review on the psychoactive, toxic and anticancer properties of kava. J Clin Med. 2022;11(14):4039. doi: 10.3390/jcm11144039, PMID 35887801.

18. Metodiewa D, Koska C. Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species: relevance to cyto(neuro)toxic events and neurologic disorders. Neurotox Res. 2000;1(3):197-233. doi: 10.1007/BF03033290, PMID 12835102.

Published

15-03-2026

How to Cite

THAKUR, DEEPALI, et al. “EVALUATION OF ANTI-DEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAVES IN MICE”. International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 18, no. 2, Mar. 2026, pp. 31-37, doi:10.22159/ijcpr.2026v18i2.8017.

Issue

Section

Original Article(s)