The Antidepressant Effect of Ethanol Extract of Daylily Flowers Evaluated by Forced Swimming Test
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Chang, Hui-Chi
Abstract
According to the prediction of 2008 WHO report, depression will be the worldwide No. 1 high burden disease by the year 2030. Although various antidepressants are commercially available, the accompanied side effects are not good for therapeutic compliance. Hemerocallis fulva L., also known as daylily, is traditionally used for soothing in Chinese dietary therapy. Recent researches discovered that daylily flowers containing potent antioxidative activity, and is good for improving sleep and memory. Rutin, a key flavonoid in daylily flowers, is also characterized as a candidate for antidepressant. In this study we investigated the antidepressant effects of ethanol extract of daylily flowers and rutin by forced swimming test and brain neurotransmitter content analysis. Our results showed that in both short term and long term test, the experimental groups of daylily flowers extract and rutin exhibited significantly reduction of immobility time in forced swimming test, and increased swimming time compared with the control group but not struggling time (p < 0.05). Further analysis on monoamines indicated that the daylily flowers extract and rutin could increase the contents of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in brain (p < 0.05). In long term test, the daylily flowers extract markedly increased serotonin in whole brain and reduced serotonin turnover rate in amygdala (40.0~60.7%), hippocampus (30.0~47.9%), and striatum (18.3~40.7%), especially in amygdala (p < 0.05). Additionally, we found that daylily flowers extract and rutin did not cause food intake disorder and body weight loss which are the side effects of fluoxetine. In conclusion, present data illustrated that ethanol extract of daylily flowers does have antidepressant like effects possibly via the regulation of serotonergic system and has no side effects of reduction in body weight and appetite. Moreover, rutin might be playing a very important role in the antidepressant like effects of ethanol extract of daylily flowers.
Subjects
daylily flowers
serotonin
depression
rutin
forced swimming test
Type
thesis
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