Antidepressant Activity of Various Extracts from Seeds of Ocimum Basilicum Linn.

Basanti Brar; Joginder Singh Duhan; Pankaj Rakha

Volume : IV, Issue : III, March - 2015

Antidepressant Activity of Various Extracts from Seeds of Ocimum Basilicum Linn.

Basanti Brar, Joginder Singh Duhan, Pankaj Rakha

Abstract :

Depression is a heterogeneous disorder that affects a person�s mood, physical health and behavior. Patients with major depression have symptoms that reflect changes in ain monoamine neurotransmitters, specifically norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. Recently, natural herbal products that have antidepressant effect has gain more attention in the market. Therfore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of various extracts from seeds of Ocimum basilicum Linn on depression in rat. Three types of extracts (petroleum ether, ethanol and water extracts) were prepared from seeds of Ocimum basilicum Linn. Two methods i.e. forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to study antidepressant activity on rats. Fluoxidine (20 mg/kg) is used as standard drugs. Different antidepressant activity were observed after 1h treatment by forced swim and tail suspension model such as 42.01% and 35.19% at dose of 200 mg/kg, 44.05% and 48.33% at dose of 400 mg/kg, respectively. Ethanol and Water extracts of Ocimum basilicum Linn were found to posses no antidepressant activity when tested in these models at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg doses. Treatment of rats with petroleum ether extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) produced a dose dependent antidepressant activity using forced swim and tail suspension model compared to control animals.