Antidepressant-like effects of the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the root bark of Morus alba on the immobility behavior of rats in the forced swim test

Molecules. 2014 Jun 12;19(6):7981-9. doi: 10.3390/molecules19067981.

Abstract

In this study, the antidepressant-like effects of Morus alba fractions in rats were investigated in the forced swim test (FST). Male Wistar rats (9-week-old) were administered orally the M. alba ethyl acetate (EtOAc 30 and 100 mg/kg) and M. alba n-butanol fractions (n-BuOH 30 and 100 mg/kg) every day for 7 consecutive days. On day 7, 1 h after the final administration of the fractions, the rats were exposed to the FST. M. alba EtOAc fraction at the dose of 100 mg/kg induced a decrease in immobility behavior (p < 0.01) with a concomitant increase in both climbing (p < 0.05) and swimming (p < 0.05) behaviors when compared with the control group, and M. alba EtOAc fraction at the dose of 100 mg/kg decreased the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to the stress, as indicated by an attenuated corticosterone response and decreased c-fos immunoreactivity in the hippocampal and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) region. These findings demonstrated that M. alba EtOAc fraction have beneficial effects on depressive behaviors and restore both altered c-fos expression and HPA activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetates / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Antidepressive Agents / chemistry*
  • Antidepressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Hypothalamus / drug effects
  • Hypothalamus / metabolism
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Morus
  • Plant Bark / chemistry*
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
  • Plant Roots / chemistry*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Swimming

Substances

  • Acetates
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Plant Extracts
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
  • ethyl acetate