Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Properties of the Methanolic Extract of Momordica charantia Linn (Cucurbitaceae) and its Mechanism of Action

Abstract

Background:

The whole plant of Momordica charantia Linn (Cucurbitaceae) is used in traditional African medicine in the management of depressive illness.

Methods:

Momordica charantia (MC) (50–400 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered 1 h before behavioural studies using the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) to investigate antidepressant-like effect while the anxiolytic-like effect was evaluated with elevated plus maze test (EPM), hole-board test (HBT), and light-dark test (LDT).

Results:

Acute treatment with MC (50–400mg/kg) significantly increased swimming time (86.51%) and reduced the duration of immobility (52.35%) in FST and TST with peak effects observed at 200 mg/kg, respectively, in comparison to control. The pretreatment of mice with either sulpiride (dopamine D₂ receptor antagonist), or metergoline (5-HT₂ receptor antagonist), or cyproheptadine (5-HT₂ receptor antagonist), or prazosin (α₁-adrenoceptor antagonist), or yohimbine (α₂-adrenoceptor antagonist), and atropine (muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonist) 15 min before oral administration of MC (200 mg/kg) significantly blocked its anti-immobility effect. Similarly, MC (200 mg/kg) significantly reduced anxiety by increasing the open arm exploration (64.27%) in EPM, number of head-dips in HBT (34.38%), and time spent in light compartment (29.38%) in the LDT. However, pretreatment with flumazenil (GABA_A receptor antagonist) 15 min before MC (200 mg/kg) significantly blocked (54.76%) its anxiolytic effect.

Conclusion:

The findings in this study showed that MC possesses antidepressant-like effect that is dependent on the serotonergic (5-HT₂ receptor), noradrenergic (α₁- and α₂-adrenoceptors), dopaminergic (D₂ receptor), and muscarinic cholinergic systems and an anxiolytic-like effect that might involve an action on benzodiazepine-type receptor.

Key words

dopaminergic - GABAergic - ionotropic - noradrenergic - serotonergic

• References

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