Evaluation of Antidepressant Activity of Leucaena Leucocephala Leaves in Swiss Albino Mice

Abstract

Introduction: A common psychiatric condition that affects about 5% of the population is depression. Moreover, it is challenging to forecast which patient will react to a particular course of treatment. Many adverse effects, such as heart toxicity, hypopiesia, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disorders, can be imposed by the drugs that people are now utilizing. For thousands of years, various plants and herbal remedies have been utilized in traditional medical systems to alleviate depression. In the current investigation, Swiss albino mice were used to test the ethanol extract of Leucaena leucocephala leaves for antidepressant-like properties.

Objectives: The purpose pf the study was to assess Leucaena leucocephala ethanolic extract’s antidepressant potential.

Methods: Leucaena leucocephala ethanolic extract's antidepressant properties were examined utilizing the TST and FST. The standard drug was imipramine. Acute Restraint Stress was used to create stress in mice. Imipramine (10 mg/kg) and ethanol extract of the leaves (100, 200 mg/kg) were given for 14 days. In both models, the duration of immobility was documented.

Results: In our investigation, the period of immobility in both experimental models was dramatically shortened by imipramine and EELLL as compared to the animals in the control group. EELLL's antidepressant efficacy was compared to that of imipramine, a common medication. Thus, Leucaena leucocephala leaf ethanol extract significantly exhibited antidepressant-like effects in rats.

Conclusions: Leucaena leucocephala leaves were extracted using ethanol, phytochemical analysis determines the presence of coumarins, saponins, flavonoids,  phenols, tannins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, and amino acids. Comparing the EELLL to ARS, the study indicates that the higher dose of 200 mg/kg of the extract had considerable antidepressant efficacy. It has been demonstrated to raise SOD and catalase levels as well as improve behavioural symptoms.