ACUTE TOXICITY, ANTIDEPRESSIVE AND MAO INHIBITORY ACTIVITY OF MANGIFERIN ISOLATED FROM HYPERICUM AUCHERI

Antidepressive effect of mangiferin isolated from Hypericum aucheri Jaub. et Spach (Clusiaceae) was studied. The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of mangiferin in the forced swimming test (PST) and to investigate whether inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity contributes to the antidepressant-like effects of mangiferin. Acute toxicity of mangiferin was determined in male mice after p.o. (4984 mg/kg b.w.) and i.p. (490 mg/kg b.w) administration. Single (dose ranging between 62.5 and 500 mg/kg b.w.) and repeated (250 mg/kg for 7 or 14 days) per oral treatment of mice with mangiferin decreased the immobilization lime in FST. The antidepressant activity of mangiferin increased in a dose-dependent manner up to 250 mg/kg b.w, but no increase was observed thereafter Mangiferin inhibited MAO(A) (IC50 is 4.1 x 10(-4)) and MAO(B) (10(50) is approximate to 10(-3) M) activity in rat liver mitochondria. Our findings demonstrated that mangiferin exerted antidepressant-like effect in behavioral paradigms of despair possibly by modulating brain biogenic amities (norepinephrine and serotonin).