Maia Marcel Andrigo, Jurcevic Jocilene Demétrio, Malheiros Angela, Cazarin Camila André, Dalmagro Ana Paula, do Espírito Santo Camila, Mota da Silva Luisa, Maria de Souza Márcia
Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vale do Itajaí, Itajaí, SC, Brazil.
Nucleus of Chemical-PharmaceuticalResearch-NIQFAR, University of Vale do Itajaí, Itajaí, SC, Brazil.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2023 Apr 10;2023:1183809. doi: 10.1155/2023/1183809. eCollection 2023.
The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of mental illnesses is a reality that accompanies the history of civilizations, and the Piper genus exhibits many species with pharmacologically proven central effects. Then, this study evaluated the neuropharmacological effects of the hydroalcoholic extract from (HEPC) leaves to validate its uses in folk medicine.
Primarily Swiss mice (female, 25-30 g) were pretreated with HEPC (50-150 mg/kg, p.o.), vehicle, or the positive control, and submitted to open-field test (OFT), inhibitory avoidance test (IAT), tail suspension test (TST), and forced swim test (FST). Also, mice were exposed to pentylenetetrazol- and strychnine-induced seizure assay, pentobarbital-induced hypnosis test, and elevated plus-maze (EPM). The GABA levels and MAO-A activity were measured in the animal's brain after 15 days of HEPC administration (150 mg/kg, p.o.).
Mice pretreated with HEPC (100 and 150 mg/kg) and exposed to pentobarbital presented decreased sleep latency and increased sleep duration (HEPC 150 mg/kg). In EPM, the HEPC (150 mg/kg) increased the frequency of entry and the time of exploration of mice in the open arms. The antidepressant-like properties of HEPC were demonstrated by the decrease in the mice's immobility time when tested in FST and TST. The extract did not show anticonvulsant activity, in addition to not improving the memory parameters of animals (IAT) or interfering with their locomotor activity (OFT). Besides, HEPC administration decreased the MAO-A activity and increased the GABA levels in the animal's brain.
HEPC induces sedative-hypnotic, anxiolytic-, and antidepressant-like effects. These neuropharmacological effects of HEPC could be, at least in part, related to the modulation of the GABAergic system and/or MAO-A activity.
药用植物用于治疗精神疾病是伴随文明史的一个现实情况，胡椒属植物有许多物种具有经药理学证实的中枢效应。因此，本研究评估了荜澄茄叶水醇提取物（HEPC）的神经药理学作用，以验证其在民间医学中的用途。
首先，对瑞士小鼠（雌性，25 - 30克）分别用HEPC（50 - 150毫克/千克，口服）、赋形剂或阳性对照进行预处理，然后进行旷场试验（OFT）、抑制性回避试验（IAT）、悬尾试验（TST）和强迫游泳试验（FST）。此外，使小鼠暴露于戊四氮和士的宁诱导的惊厥试验、戊巴比妥诱导的催眠试验以及高架十字迷宫（EPM）。在给予HEPC（150毫克/千克，口服）15天后，测量动物大脑中的GABA水平和MAO - A活性。
用HEPC（100和150毫克/千克）预处理并给予戊巴比妥的小鼠睡眠潜伏期缩短，睡眠时间延长（HEPC 150毫克/千克）。在EPM中，HEPC（150毫克/千克）增加了小鼠进入开放臂的频率和探索时间。在FST和TST中测试时，HEPC使小鼠的不动时间减少，证明了其具有抗抑郁样特性。该提取物未显示抗惊厥活性，此外也未改善动物的记忆参数（IAT）或干扰其运动活动（OFT）。此外，给予HEPC可降低动物大脑中的MAO - A活性并增加GABA水平。
HEPC具有镇静催眠、抗焦虑和抗抑郁样作用。HEPC的这些神经药理学作用可能至少部分与GABA能系统和/或MAO - A活性的调节有关。
