In vivo antidepressant effect of Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa. - GreenMedInfo Summary

A variety of neuroactive flavonoids can be found in the species of thegenus; however, their difficulty in crossing the blood-brain barrier limits their in vivo neuropharmacological activity. In this study, cationic nanoparticles were developed as a novel nanocarrier for improving the antidepressant activity off.leaf extract. Formulations obtained using Eudragit E PO polymethylmethacrylate copolymer, as polymeric matrix had their physicochemical properties investigated. The analytical content of the flavonoids vicenin-2, orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin was determined in the plant extract. Small-sized and spherical nanoparticles loaded withf.were obtained with positive zeta potential and high encapsulation efficiency. In addition, the nanosystems were shown to be stable for at least 6 months. The antidepressant activity ofextract (50 and 100 mg/kg) as well as the extract-loaded nanoparticles (5 mg/kg) were investigated in mice using the forced swimming test, where the latter increased the potency of the former by 10-fold. In addition, histopathological and biochemical analysis confirmed the biocompatibility of the extract-loaded nanoparticles. This study demonstrated that the Eudragit cationic nanoparticles were able to improve the antidepressant activity ofin the central nervous system of mice.