EVALUATION OF ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF TOTAL EXTRACTS FROM PLANT ARECA CATECHU IN ANIMAL ASSAY

In the present study, Areca Catechu significantly increased the frequency of 5-HTP induced head twitches, Clonidine induced aggression and L-DOPA induced hyperactivity and aggressive behavior indicating its enhanced activity on serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic pathways respectively. Our results also confirm the involvement of serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic pathways in depression. Pretreatment with Areca Catechu, also significantly increased the levels of SOD and Catalase with simultaneous decrease in LPO levels in rat brain, suggesting its strong antioxidant activity. Since oxidative stress is reported to play an important role in depression, the antioxidant activity of Areca Catechu might be a part of the mechanism for its antidepressant activity. Results from behavioral experiments indicate that the antidepressant activity of Areca Catechu, might be due to the facilitatory effect on serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems apart from the antioxidant activity. The results from the present study confirm the antidepressant activity of Areca Catechu, since it reduced the immobility in both FST and TST. Key Words: Areca Catechu, antidepressant activity.