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Abstract
The objective was to investigate the antidepressant activity of methanolic extract of leaves of Alangium Salviifolium (L. F.) Wangerinin mice. To study the effect of Alangium Salviifolium (L. F.) Wangerin on anti depressant activity of brain. The results from the present study confirm the antidepressant activity of hibiscus, since it reduced the immobility in both FST and TST. In the present study, Alangium Salviifolium (L. F.) Wangerin is 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 path ways in depression. Pre treatment with hibiscus, also significantly increased the levels of SOD and Catalase with simultaneous decrease in LPO levels in mice brain, suggesting its strong antioxidant activity. Since oxidative stress is reported to play an important role in depression, the antioxidant activity of Alangium Salviifolium (L. F.) Wangerin is might be a part of the mechanism for its antidepressant activity. Results from behavioral experiments indicate that the antidepressant activity of Alangium Salviifolium (L. F.) Wangerin is, might be due to the facilitatory effect on serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems apart from the anti depressant activity.