Amit Kumar, Sayak Khawas, Kumar Anand and Neelima Sharma
Background: Depression and anxiety are prevalent psychiatric disorders in the modern era, often attributed to the alterations in signalling neurotransmitters or the release of biogenic amines characterized by changes in consciousness, psychomotor functions, and emotional disturbances.
Purpose: Several antidepressant drugs are available; they may cause irreversible adverse effects. Therefore, exploring herbal remedies as an alternative therapy holds potential benefits. Macrotyloma uniflorum and Clitoria ternatea are among the plants traditionally utilized for their anti-depression activity.
Method: This study aims to compare the antidepressant activity of the methanolic extracts of M. uniflorum and C. ternatea leaves. Their phytochemical compositions were analysed, and antioxidant activities were evaluated using DPPH and Superoxide radical scavenging assays.
Results: The outcomes of phytochemical screening indicated the presence of secondary metabolites in both extracts, including alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, steroids, flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids and tannins. The antioxidant assays indicated significant antioxidant potential in both M. uniflorum and C. ternatea extracts. Various biochemical assays, behavioural studies, and histopathological evaluations were conducted using a toluene-induced mice model.
Conclusion: The behavioural study and biochemical estimations confirmed the antidepressant potential of both extracts. However, the M. uniflorum extract exhibited better efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms. In light of future perspectives, it would be valuable to isolate and identify the specific compounds facilitating a more targeted pharmacological approach for depression pharmacotherapy.