RESUMO
Objective To study antidepressant effects of Epimedium brevicornum extracts.Methods(Behavioral) despair models of male mice,tails suspension test(TST),and forced swimming test(FST) were used to evaluate the effects of E.brevicornum extracts on behavioral,monoamine oxidas(MAOA) and monoamine oxidase B(MAO-B) activities in brain and liver tissue,and MDA level in liver tissue of mouse.Reserpine antagonistic model was also used to investigate possible antidepressant mechanisms of E.brevicornum extracts.Results The extracts of E.brevicornum(25,50, 100,and 200 mg/kg) significantly reduced the duration of murine immobility in TST and FST,inhibited MAO-A and MAO-B activities in brain and liver of mice,and reversed the elevated liver MDA level in mice in TST.There was no significant amelioration in the decreases of body temperature in mice of Reserpine antagonistic model.Conclusion(E.brevicornum) extracts possesses the definite antidepressant properties.
