부산대학교 도서관

Context:Coccinia indicaNaud (Cucurbitaceae) has been traditionally used for the treatment of depression but these claims have not been validated. Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate antidepressant activity of various extracts and fractions ofC. indicaaerial parts, and to estimate content of quercetin in the plant using TLC densitometry. Materials and methods:Coccinia indicaaerial parts were successively extracted using solvents in increasing order of polarity, namelyn-hexane, chloroform, methanol, and water. Various extracts were evaluated for antidepressant activity at doses of 200 or 400 mg/kg, p.o., upon acute administration in mice using the forced swim test (FST). The bioactive extract was partitioned successively using solvents in increasing order of polarity, namelyn-hexane, ethyl acetate, andn-butanol. All fractions were also screened for antidepressant activity at doses of 25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o., upon acute administration in mice. Results: The methanol extract significantly reduced the duration of immobility in FST at dose of 400 mg/kg without affecting locomotor activity in open field test, thus, confirmed its antidepressant activity, which was statistically equivalent to the standard drug (imipramine, 15 mg/kg, i.p.). Ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) exhibited antidepressant activity at 50 mg/kg. Comparative TLC fingerprint studies confirmed the presence of quercetin in methanol extract and EAF. Quercetin was used as a chemical marker to standardizeC. indicaaerial parts using the validated TLC densitometric method, and the content of quercetin was found to be 0.00172% w/w. Conclusions: The present studies scientifically validated traditional claims ofC. indicafor antidepressant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]