Antipsychotic activity of standardized Bacopa extract against ketamine-induced experimental psychosis in mice: Evidence for the involvement of dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic systems. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chatterjee, Manavi; Verma, Rajkumar; Kumari, Reena; Singh, Seema; Verma, Anil Kumar; Dwivedi, Anil Kumar; Palit, Gautam
• Is Part Of: Pharmaceutical biology. Volume 53:Number 12(2015:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1850
• Page End: 1860
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Pharmacognosy -- Periodicals; Materia medica, Vegetable -- Periodicals; 615.321
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1388-0209

Abstract

<abstract> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Context</italic>: Schizophrenia is a chronic disabling psychiatric disorder affecting 1% of the population worldwide. Due to the adverse effects of available antipsychotic medications, recent investigations have focused on the search for well-tolerated, safe molecules from natural resources to control the severity and progression of schizophrenia.</p> <p> <italic>Objective</italic>: To screen the standardized extract of <italic>Bacopa monniera</italic> Linn. (Scrophulariaceae) (BM) for its antipsychotic potential in the ketamine-induced psychosis model with mice.</p> <p> <italic>Materials and methods</italic>: Graded dose of BM (40, 80, and 120 mg/kg, p.o.) were given to the mice 1 h prior to ketamine administration and tested for positive symptoms and cognitive deficits. A chronic ketamine treatment regimen was used to study the effect of BM on negative symptoms such as immobility enhancement. Each mouse was used once for the behavioral studies.</p> <p> <italic>Results</italic>: BM reduced ketamine-induced hyperactivity with an EC<sub>50</sub> value of 76.60 mg/kg. The 80 mg/kg dose was used for all other behavior analysis. Pretreatment with BM at 80 mg/kg showed two-fold increases in transfer latency time (TLT) in passive avoidance task. Chronic BM pretreatment (80 mg/kg p.o. daily × 10 d) ameliorated the ketamine-induced enhanced immobility effect by 21% in the forced swim test. BM treatment reversed ketamine-induced increase in monoamine oxidase activity in both cortex and striatum and normalized the acetylcholinesterase activity and the glutamate levels in the hippocampus.</p> <p> <italic>Discussion and conclusion</italic>: Overall our findings suggest that BM possesses antipsychotic properties which might be due to its modulatory action on dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate neurotransmission.</p> </abstract>