Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, Modena, Italy.
Phytomedicine. 2011 Jul 15;18(10):848-51. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2011.01.016. Epub 2011 Feb 25.
The seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia Baill., a tropical shrub native to West Africa, are rich in 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP), a direct precursor in the synthesis of serotonin (5-HT). In spite of the modern therapeutic application of Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract in mood disorders, no scientific evidence has been provided till now. For this reason the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract on anxiety behavior. Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract, dosed at 1, 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg, was orally administered in rats which were submitted to the dark-light test and open field test, 60 min after the treatment. In the dark-light test, the administration of the extract at the doses of 10 and 25 mg/kg was able to significantly increase the time spent in the light compartment (P<0.05). In the open field test, the extract dosed at 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg induced an anti-tigmotactic effect, as indicated by a significant increase of time spent in the central area of the open field (P<0.01). In conclusion these findings indicate that Griffonia simplicifolia seed extract exerts anxiolytic-like effect in rats and suggest its potential usefulness for the treatment of anxiety in humans.
来自西非热带地区灌木植物非洲臀果木的种子富含 5-羟色氨酸（5-HTP），是 5-羟色胺（5-HT）合成的直接前体。尽管非洲臀果木种子提取物在情绪障碍的现代治疗应用中得到了广泛应用，但到目前为止还没有提供科学证据。出于这个原因，我们的研究目的是调查非洲臀果木种子提取物对焦虑行为的影响。在给予大鼠口服 1、5、10 和 25mg/kg 的非洲臀果木种子提取物 60 分钟后，将其分别用于暗-亮测试和开阔场测试。在暗-亮测试中，提取物在 10 和 25mg/kg 的剂量下给药能够显著增加在亮区的时间（P<0.05）。在开阔场测试中，5、10 和 25mg/kg 剂量的提取物诱导抗触发性作用，表现为在开阔场中央区域花费的时间显著增加（P<0.01）。总之，这些发现表明非洲臀果木种子提取物对大鼠具有抗焦虑样作用，并提示其在人类焦虑症治疗中的潜在用途。
