EVALUATION OF ANTIDEPRESSANT ACTIVITY OF LITSEA FLORIBUNDA (BL.) GAMBLE – LAURACEAE USING ANIMAL MODELS

The genus Litsea, is used in traditional and indigenous Indian and Chinese medicines for the treatment of diarrhoea, stomach ache, dyspepsia, gastroenteritis, diabetes, edema, arthritis etc. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the antidepressant activity of leaf and stem bark aqueous and ethanol extracts of L. floribunda (LF) as well as its interaction with conventional antidepressant drugs using Forced Swimming Test (FST) and Tail Suspension Test (TST) in mice. Albino mice were treated with extracts of L. floribunda (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and standard drug Imipramine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) for 14 days and after last dose administration on 14^th day, all behavioural studies were performed and evaluated. The standard drug treated animals (20 mg/kg i.p.) evidently showed much less immobility time. Thus in FST model the antidepressant effect produced by group IV, group V, group VI, VII, VIII and X (100 and 200 mg/kg. p.o.) was comparable to that of group II i.e. standard drug Imipramine group where as in TST model, the antidepressant effect produced by groups IV, VIII, IX and X was comparable to that of group II i.e. standard drug-Imipramine group. In conclusion, L. floribunda extracts possessed potential antidepressant effects which could be of therapeutic interest for using in the treatment of depressive disorders.