Screening of plants used in Danish folk medicine to treat depression and anxiety for affinity to the serotonin transporter and inhibition of MAO-A
2013
Jäger, Anna K. | Gauguin, Bente | Andersen, Jacob | Adsersen, Anne | Gudiksen, Lene
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: A number of plant species are used in Danish folk medicine for treatment of depression and anxiety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of 17 plant species were tested for affinity to the serotonin transporter and for inhibition of MAO-A—both targets for antidepressive treatment. RESULTS: An ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Borago officinalis had affinity to the serotonin transporter. Ten extracts, from eight plants, had IC₅₀ values below 25μg/ml extract in the MAO-A assay. The most active extracts in the MAO-A assay were the ethanol extract of seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum (IC₅₀ 4μg/ml); ethanol extract of leaves of Apium graveolens (IC₅₀ 5μg/ml) and the water extract of aerial parts of Calluna vulgaris (IC₅₀ 8μg/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Besides Borago officinalis, which toxicity profile excludes it from further development as an herbal drug, none of the plants had potential as serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Several plants had MAO-A inhibitory activity.
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