Antidepressant and anxiolytic compounds isolated from Salvia elegans interact with serotonergic drugs

• Published in: Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology Vol. 394; no. 12; pp. 2419 - 2428
• Main Authors: Martínez-Hernández, Gabriela Belen, Jiménez-Ferrer, Enrique, González-Cortazar, Manases, Román-Ramos, Rubén, Tortoriello, Jaime, Vargas-Villa, Gabriela, Herrera-Ruiz, Maribel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agonists; Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Anxiety Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Anxiety Agents - pharmacology; Antidepressants; Antidepressive Agents - administration & dosage; Antidepressive Agents - isolation & purification; Antidepressive Agents - pharmacology; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Central nervous system; Column chromatography; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug interaction; Drug Interactions; Drugs; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Neurosciences; Oleanolic acid; Open-field behavior; Original Article; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Salvia - chemistry; Salvia elegans; Serotonin; Serotonin Agents - administration & dosage; Serotonin Agents - pharmacology; Serotonin S1 receptors; Serotonin S2 receptors; Swimming; Terpenes; Depression; 5-HT drugs; Anxiety; Forced swim test; Elevated plus maze; Salvia elegans
• ISSN: 0028-1298; 1432-1912; 1432-1912
• DOI: 10.1007/s00210-021-02155-6

Salvia elegans belongs to a genus plants with biological activities in central nervous system. In this work, the purpose was to evaluate the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of fractions and compounds isolated from S. elegans and its interaction with serotoninergic drugs by using behavioral tests in mice. Fractions from aerial parts of S. elegans were obtained by column chromatography, SeF1, SeF2, SeF3, and SeF4. Each of them was administered to 25 mg/k in ICR mice subject to forced swimming test (FST), or elevated plus maze test (EPM), or open field test (OFT). The most active fractions were chemically separated until compounds, which were analyzed as anxiolytic or antidepressant and the coadministration of these treatments with 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2 drugs was measured in the different biological tests. All fractions were anxiolytic and antidepressant, oleanolic acid (OA) was found in SeF2, and from SeF3, a mixture of terpenes was found; a GC–MS analysis confirmed the presence of two main compounds: rosifoliol and agaraspirol (TM, mixture of terpenes). TM (doses-response curve, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg) and OA (5 mg/kg) were also evaluated demonstrating an antidepressant and anxiolytic effect, respectively. The combination of TM (0.5 mg/kg) with 8-OH (selective 5-HT 1A receptor agonist) induced an increment of antidepressant activity, while with the antagonist WAY-100635, the effect diminished. But with DOI (5-HT 1 c/5-HT 2  receptor agonist), there was no change, and with KET (5-HT 2 receptor antagonist), the activity was increased. When OA is co-administered with 8-OH or with DOI, the anxiolytic activity of this terpene, diminished; but with the combination with antagonists, the effect of OA shows no change. TM and OA were antidepressant and anxiolytic, respectively, on mice exposed to different tests, and these are able to interact with serotoninergic drugs.