Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTI-DEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF CUCURBITA MOSCHATA LEAF EXTRACT ON EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

*Karunakar Hegde, Pratheeksha, Kavya B. J., Krithi R., Likhitha N., Srijan Rai R., Shreya K.

ABSTRACT

The study was performed to investigate the antidepressant activity of ethanolic extract of Cucurbita moschata leaves in Swiss albino mice using Tail suspension test (TST). Mice were divided into 4 groups and each group consists of n=6 animals. Group 1 received a vehicle (1ml/kg p.o.). Group 2 received imipramine (10mg/kg p.o.). Group 3 and Group 4 treated with lower (100mg/kg p.o.) and higher (200mg/kg, p.o.) doses of ethanolic extract of Cucurbita moschata leaves respectively for 10 days. Onset and duration of immobility was considered as the parameter for evaluation of antidepressant activity. In TST, Antidepressant activity of control, standard, low and high doses of extracts were compared and evaluated. Both low and high doses of the ethanolic extract of Cucurbita moschata leaves showed dose-dependent significant decrease in depression when compared with depressive control. The present study can be concluded with the fact that ethanolic extract of Cucurbita moschata leaves unveils significant antidepressant activity in Swiss albino mice using the tail suspension method.

Keywords: Anti-depressant, Cucurbita moschata, Ethanolic extract, Tail Suspension Test.