PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF AEGLE MARMELOS LEAVES FOR SELECTIVE PSYCHOTROPIC ACTIVITY

Aegle marmelos, commonly known as Bael or Bilva, belonging to family Rutaceae, has been a tree of humongous significance since time immemorial. It has been used tremendously in ethnomedicine and ethnobotany owing to its spiritual connection. There are testimonials of its prolific use in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha system of medicine. People also have found this tree of utility owing to its ecological and economic perspective. Almost all the parts of this tree are beneficial and have been used for various reasons. This research was undertaken to ascertain anti-anxiety and antidepressant responses in the hydroalcoholic leaf extract of Aegle marmelos employing the Elevated plus Maze for anxiety and Tail Suspension Test model for depression. Phytochemical screening of the prepared extract was also performed to recognize the phytochemicals possibly accountable for the selective psychotropic activities in the plant. A hydroalcoholic leaf extract using 50% ethanol was prepared and screened for presence of different phytochemicals and was found to comprise alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, coumarins, phenols, and reducing sugars. The findings revealed that AME 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg ameliorated the anxiolytic response by increasing the total time spent and number of entries made in the open arms in the elevated plus maze compared to the control. Also, the AME at 400 mg/kg dose, showed a dose-dependent, comparable response to the standard drug diazepam 2 mg/kg. Also, when AME was administered at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg orally in the mice in the TST, it caused marked reduction in the total time of immobility in mice compared to the control. Also, the AME 400 mg/kg dose showed a dose-dependent and comparable response to the standard drug Fluoxetine 20 mg/kg. Thus, Aegle marmelos hydroalcoholic leaf extract is inferred to possess anxiolytic and antidepressant therapeutic responses and can serve as a potential agent against the available synthetic marketed preparations.