Antidepressant activity of Hibiscus esculentus L
M A Ebrahimzadeh1, S M Nabavi, S F Nabavi
1Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. zadeh20@yahoo.com.
Objectives:
Hibiscus (H.) esculentus L. (Okra) is distributed from Africa to Asia, Southern European and America and widely used as food. The aim of present study was to investigate antidepressant activity of Okra seeds and leaves.
Materials And Methods:
Antidepressant activity of methanolic extracts were evaluated by forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension tests (TST). Also, total phenol and flavonoid contents were measured by Folin Ciocalteau and AlCl3 assays, respectively.
Results:
Phenol and flavonoid contents of extracts were determined as gallic acid and quercetin equivalents from a calibration curve, respectively. Extracts showed good antidepressant activity in both FST and TST. The extracts shortened remarkably the immobility period in FST and TST and exhibited a dose dependent activity. Seeds extract in 250, 500 and 750 mg kg-1 showed significant activity as compared to control (p < 0.001). Both extracts at 750 mg kg-1 showed similar activity as imipramine 15 mg kg-1 (p > 0.05) in TST. Extracts contained high amount of phenol and flavonoids. No mortality has been observed up to 2 g kg-1 for seeds and 2.5 g kg-1 for leaves.
Conclusions:
These results introduced H. esculentus seeds and leaves as an easily accessible and edible source of natural antidepressant.
More Related Videos
10:03Comparative Study on the Polysaccharide Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis and Hippophae gyantsensis
Published on: August 15, 2025
07:58Behavioral and Network Pharmacology-Based Analyses for the Traditional Mongolian Medicine Zadi-5 in a Rat Model of Depression
Published on: February 24, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
Antidepressant Drugs: Overview
Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs
Acid Suppressive Drugs for Peptic Ulcer Disease: Histamine H2-Receptor Antagonists
Depressants
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...
Drugs for Treatment of Diarrhea-Predominant IBS
Two specific drugs used in the treatment are alosetron (Lotronex) and eluxadoline (Viberzi). Alosetron, a 5-HT3 antagonist, works by slowing the movement of stools in the gut, reducing bowel...
