Antidepressant Potential of Lotus corniculatus L. subsp. corniculatus : An Ethnobotany Based Approach

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2020-03, Vol.25 (6), p.1299
• Main Authors: Gürağaç Dereli, Fatma Tuğçe, Khan, Haroon, Sobarzo-Sánchez, Eduardo, Akkol, Esra Küpeli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Acids; Amine oxidase (flavin-containing); Analgesics; Animals; Antagonism; antidepressant; Antidepressants; Antidepressive Agents - chemistry; Antidepressive Agents - pharmacology; Antioxidants; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Chromatography; Disaccharides - chemistry; Disaccharides - isolation & purification; Diuretics; Enzymes; Ethnobotany; Ethyl acetate; fabaceae; Flavanones - chemistry; Flavanones - isolation & purification; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - chemistry; Flavonoids - isolation & purification; forced swimming test; Fractionation; Glucosides; Glucosides - chemistry; Glucosides - isolation & purification; Herbal medicine; Hindlimb Suspension; Humans; Hypothermia; Hypothermia - chemically induced; Hypothermia - drug therapy; In vivo methods and tests; Locomotor activity; Lotus - chemistry; Lotus corniculatus; Medicinal plants; Mental depression; Methanol - chemistry; Mice; Monoamine Oxidase; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors - chemistry; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors - pharmacology; Naringenin; Phytochemicals; Plant Components, Aerial - chemistry; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Pterocarpans - chemistry; Pterocarpans - isolation & purification; Studies; tail suspension test; Tetrabenazine; Tetrabenazine - toxicity; Toxicity
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules25061299

As a Turkish traditional medicinal plant, aerial parts of L. subsp. (Fabaceae) are used as a painkiller, antihemoroidal, diuretic and sedative. In this study, the antidepressant potential of the plant has been attempted to clarify. Extracts with water, -Hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol were prepared respectively from the aerial parts. Antidepressant activity of the extracts were researched by using three different in vivo test models namely a tail suspension test, antagonism of tetrabenazine-induced hypothermia, ptosis, and suppression of locomotor activity and forced swimming test on male BALB/c mice and in vitro monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and B inhibition assays. The results were evaluated through comparing with control and reference groups, and then active compounds of the active extract have been determined. Bioassay-guided fractionation of active fraction led to the isolation of three compounds and structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. The data of this study demonstrate that the MeOH extract of the aerial parts of the plant showed remarkable in vivo antidepressant effect and the isolated compounds medicarpin-3- -glucoside, gossypetin-3- -glucoside and naringenin-7- -glucoside (prunin) from the active sub-fractions could be responsible for the activity. Further mechanistic and toxicity studies are planned to develop new antidepressant-acting drugs.