ABSTRACT
Background: In recent years, the search for novel pharmacotherapy from medicinal plants for psychiatric illness was significantly progressed. The present study was performed to evaluate the antidepressant activity of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria in animal models.Methods: The antidepressant activity of ethanolic extract of the fruit of L. siceraria in rats was assessed using forced swim test and tail suspension test. Imipramine at 15 mg/kg was used as standard antidepressant drug.Results: The ethanolic extract of L. siceraria fruit (EELS) was significantly and dose-dependently reduced the duration of immobility after repeated treatment for 7 days in Forced swim test and Tail suspension Test. But combination of L. siceraria (200mg/kg) with Imipramine gave a highly significant result (p<0.001) in reduction of immobility duration and the effect of high dose (400mg/kg) with imipramine (15mg/kg) did not decrease the duration of immobility period in both animal models at end of the study. In this work the dose of 400mg/kg afforded more protection than the imipramine.Conclusions: The results obtained from this study was indicate that the antidepressant activity of L. siseraria.
ABSTRACT
Background: Angiogenesis is important for the typical physiological activities such as cure from injury, menstrual cycle and embryo growth. It is also plays a crucial role in several pathological conditions in cancer. Antiangiogenesis, e.g., inhibition of blood vessel growth, is being investigated as a way to prevent the growth of tumors and other angiogenesis-dependent diseases. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is commonly used as an experimental in vivo assay to study both angiogenesis and antiangiogenesis in response to tissues, cells or soluble factors. Given the high occurrence of cancer worldwide and the major source of the discovery of new lead molecules are medicinal plants. The objective of the present research was to study the antiangiogenic property of “aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds” using chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assayMethods: The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay for screening the effect of Nigella sativa on anti-angiogenesis was performed according to the method given by Ribatti and co-workers.Results: The results of present study significantly increased the antiangiogenic effect on CAM by decreasing the proliferation of capillary networks in a dose (50 to 300 µg/egg) dependent manner which is probably related to the inhibition of neovascularization.Conclusions: It is concluded that aqueous extract of N. sativa seeds possesses significant antiangiogenic activity, and this is a possible rationale for its folkloric use as an anticancer agent.