Abstract

ANNONA SQUAMOSA AS AN ANTIANXIETY AGENT: EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOURAL AND BRAIN CHEMICAL CHANGES

Kailash Sharma* and Milind Parle

ABSTRACT

Anxiety is one of the most common psychiatric disorders that we experienced in our everyday life. Benzodiazepine and serotonergic agents are used to treat anxiety. Long term intake of these agents may cause side effects such as sleep disturbances, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, paradoxical effects etc. Therefore, the demands of new potential anxiolytic agents are increases with negligible side effect. High importance is given to herbal medicines and phytoconstituents due to their wide therapeutic properties with minimal side effects. Annona squamosa is an excellent combination of healthy nutrients and essential ingredients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the anxiolytic potential of Annona squamosa fruit juice in unstressed and stressed mice using anxiety models viz. Light-dark model, Elevated plus maze model and Hole-board model. Annona squamosa fruit juice (3%, 6% and 9% v/v, p.o) was administered for 14 days in different groups of unstressed and stressed mice. Annona squamosa fruit juice significantly enhanced the time spent in the lit compartment in light-dark model, number of entries and time spent in the open arms in elevated plus maze model and head dip counts in hole-board model in unstressed and stressed mice. Blood plasma nitrite levels were reduced effectively by Annona squamosa, thereby suggesting enhancement in scavenging of free radicals. Interestingly, brain GABA and Serotonin levels were markedly increased indicate anxiolytic effect of Annona squamosa. These findings, when taken together showed that Annona squamosa possesses promising antianxiety like effect.

Keywords: Anxiety, Anxiolytics, Annona squamosa, Sugar Apple.