RESUMEN
Flavonoids have been demonstrated to possess an anti-depressant effect and less adverse effects than tricyclic anti-depressants. For this reason, flavonoids in natural products have attracted growing attention. Rutin is a glycoside flavonoid which belongs to an important class of flavonoids, abundantly found in plants, such as buckwheat seeds, asparagus, red pepper, apples, citrus fruits and leaves of many herbs such as rosemary, dandelion or sage, and black and green tea. It is a vital nutritional component of food stuff. This study aimed at investigating the antidepressant potential of the rutin supplement on Swiss albino mice. For assessment of antidepressant activity, Open Space Forced Swim Test (OSFST), Tail Suspension Test (TST), Open-Field Test (OFT) and Novel Object Recognition Test (NORT) were used. Twenty-five Swiss albino mice were used for the study and divided into five groups. Group I received 10 mg/kg distilled water, group II received fluoxetine 20 mg/kg while group III, IV and V received rutin (30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg respectively) for sixteen days. The administration of the rutin supplement for sixteen days produced a reduction of immobility time in the TST (at 30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg and 120 mg/kg), p<0.05. Likewise, a statistically significant difference was observed in line crossing in OFT, p<0.05. However, no significant effect was observed in percentage novel object preference in NORT. This study revealed that oral administration of rutin has an antidepressant potential in a dose dependent manner in OSFST mouse model of depression.