Dhingra Dinesh, Sharma Amandeep
Pharmacology Division, Department Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar-125001 (Haryana), India.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2006 May;30(3):449-54. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.11.019. Epub 2006 Jan 27.
The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Family: Fabaceae), popularly known as liquorice, on depression in mice using forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). The extract of G. glabra (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg) was administered orally for 7 successive days in separate groups of Swiss young male albino mice. The dose of 150 mg/kg of the extract significantly reduced the immobility times of mice in both FST and TST, without any significant effect on locomotor activity of mice. The efficacy of extract was found to be comparable to that of imipramine (15 mg/kg i.p.) and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg i.p.). Liquorice extract reversed reserpine-induced extension of immobility period of mice in FST and TST. Sulpiride (50 mg/kg i.p.; a selective D2 receptor antagonist) and prazosin (62.5 microg/kg i.p.; an alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist) significantly attenuated the extract-induced antidepressant-like effect in TST. On the other hand, p-chlorophenylalanine (100 mg/kg i.p.; an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis) did not reverse antidepressant-like effect of liquorice extract. This suggests that antidepressant-like effect of liquorice extract seems to be mediated by increase of brain norepinephrine and dopamine, but not by increase of serotonin. Monoamine oxidase inhibiting effect of liquorice may be contributing favorably to the antidepressant-like activity. Thus, it is concluded that liquorice extract may possess an antidepressant-like effect.
本研究旨在利用强迫游泳试验（FST）和悬尾试验（TST），研究光果甘草（豆科）水提取物（俗称甘草）对小鼠抑郁的影响。将光果甘草提取物（75、150和300mg/kg）分别口服给予瑞士年轻雄性白化小鼠，连续7天。150mg/kg提取物剂量显著缩短了小鼠在FST和TST中的不动时间，对小鼠的运动活性无显著影响。发现提取物的疗效与丙咪嗪（15mg/kg腹腔注射）和氟西汀（20mg/kg腹腔注射）相当。甘草提取物逆转了利血平诱导的小鼠在FST和TST中不动期的延长。舒必利（50mg/kg腹腔注射；一种选择性D2受体拮抗剂）和哌唑嗪（62.5μg/kg腹腔注射；一种α1肾上腺素能受体拮抗剂）显著减弱了提取物在TST中诱导的抗抑郁样作用。另一方面，对氯苯丙氨酸（100mg/kg腹腔注射；一种血清素合成抑制剂）并未逆转甘草提取物的抗抑郁样作用。这表明甘草提取物的抗抑郁样作用似乎是由脑去甲肾上腺素和多巴胺的增加介导的，而不是由血清素的增加介导的。甘草的单胺氧化酶抑制作用可能对其抗抑郁样活性有积极贡献。因此，得出结论，甘草提取物可能具有抗抑郁样作用。
