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Involvement of monoaminergic systems in anxiolytic and antidepressive activities of the standardized extract of Cocos nucifera L.

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Abstract

Extracts from the husk fiber of Cocos nucifera are used in folk medicine, but their actions on the central nervous system have not been studied. Here, the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of the standardized hydroalcoholic extract of C. nucifera husk fiber (HECN) were evaluated. Male Swiss mice were treated with HECN (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) 60 min before experiments involving the plus maze test, hole-board test, tail suspension test, and forced swimming test (FST). HECN was administered orally (p.o.) in acute and repeated-dose treatments. The forced swimming test was performed with dopaminergic and noradrenergic antagonists, as well as a serotonin release inhibitor. Administration of HECN in the FST after intraperitoneal (i.p.) pretreatment of mice with sulpiride (50 mg/kg), prazosin (1 mg/kg), or p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA, 100 mg/kg) caused the actions of these three agents to be reversed. However, this effect was not observed after pretreating the animals with SCH23390 (15 µg/kg, i.p.) or yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) The dose chosen for HECN was 100 mg/kg, p.o., which increased the number of entries as well as the permanence in the open arms of the maze after acute and repeated doses. In both the forced swimming and the tail suspension tests, the same dose decreased the time spent immobile but did not disturb locomotor activity in an open-field test. The anxiolytic effect of HECN appears to be related to the GABAergic system, while its antidepressant effect depends upon its interaction with the serotoninergic, noradrenergic (α1 receptors), and dopaminergic (D2 dopamine receptors) systems.

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Abbreviations

BUP:

Bupropion

CNS:

Central nervous system

DZP:

Diazepam

EPM:

Elevated plus maze test

FLUM:

Flumazenil

FLX:

Fluoxetine

FST:

Forced swimming test

HECN:

Hydroalcoholic extract of C. nucifera husk fiber

HPLC:

High-performance liquid cromathography

IMP:

Imipramine

NA:

Noradrenaline

NEOA:

Number of entries in open arms

OFT:

Open-field test

PCPA:

p-Chlorophenylalanine

PRA:

Prazosin

SLA:

Spontaneous locomotor activity test

SUL:

Sulpiride

TPC:

Determination of total phenolic content

TPOA:

Time of permanence in open arms

TST:

Tail suspension test

YOH:

Yohimbine

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Council for Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), and the Ceará Foundation for the Support of Scientific and Technological Development (FUNCAP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo Street, 1127, Fortaleza, CE, CEP: 60431-270, Brazil

    Eliane Brito Cortez Lima, Caren Nádia Soares de Sousa, Lucas Nascimento Meneses, Yuri Freitas e Silva Pereira, Natália Castelo Branco Matos, Glauce Socorro Barros Viana & Silvânia Maria Mendes Vasconcelos

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Ceará, Capitão Francisco Pedro Street, 1210, Fortaleza, CE, CEP: 60430-170, Brazil

    Rayanne Brito de Freitas & Luzia Kalyne Almeida Moreira Leal

  3. Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, University Center Christus-Unichristus, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

    Nycole Brito Cortez Lima & Manoel Cláudio Azevedo Patrocínio

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  1. Eliane Brito Cortez Lima
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  2. Caren Nádia Soares de Sousa
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Correspondence to Silvânia Maria Mendes Vasconcelos.

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Lima, E.B.C., de Sousa, C.N.S., Meneses, L.N. et al. Involvement of monoaminergic systems in anxiolytic and antidepressive activities of the standardized extract of Cocos nucifera L.. J Nat Med 71, 227–237 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-1053-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-016-1053-6

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