Tripathi A K, Dey S, Singh R H, Dey P K
Department of Kayachikitsa and Nidana, Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar Punjab - 144 008, India.
Anc Sci Life. 1998 Jan;17(3):169-81.
Asvagandha (Withania somnifera) is an important antistress drug has now been sown to have an antidepressant action in clinically depressive patients, However, the mechanism of its antidepressant action has not been studied. Normal rats fed with asvagandha root extract (100mg/kg orally) for 4 and 8 weeks showed enhanced open field behavior and emotional stability along with a moderate but significant enhancement in the functional sensitivity of 5 HT2 receptors in the brain and a reciprocal subsensitivity of the 5HT1A receptors chronic asvagandha treatment (propylactically) was effective in preventing the behavioral deficit in open field activity in an animal model of depression. This was accompanied by an adaptive supersensitivity of the postsynaptic 5HT2 receptors in the brain. The effect of chronic Asvagandha on 5HT receptor subtypes is similar to the action of chronic ECT treatment and several antidepressant drugs.
印度人参（睡茄）是一种重要的抗应激药物，现已发现其对临床抑郁症患者具有抗抑郁作用。然而，其抗抑郁作用的机制尚未得到研究。给正常大鼠口服印度人参根提取物（100mg/kg），持续4周和8周，结果显示大鼠的旷场行为和情绪稳定性增强，同时大脑中5-HT2受体的功能敏感性有适度但显著的增强，5-HT1A受体则出现相应的亚敏感性。长期给予印度人参（预防性）治疗可有效预防抑郁症动物模型中旷场活动的行为缺陷。这伴随着大脑中突触后5-HT2受体的适应性超敏反应。长期服用印度人参对5-HT受体亚型的影响类似于长期电休克治疗和几种抗抑郁药物的作用。
