Exploration of neural mechanisms underlying antidepressant-like property of Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. essential oil using mouse forced swimming test: Involvement of the monoaminergic systems.

OBJECTIVE

Ziziphora clinopodioides has been valued in Iranian traditional medicine for various medicinal applications. This novel study was conducted to assess the antidepressant-like effect of the essential oil of Ziziphora clinopodioides (EOZC) and to identify the possible mechanisms contributing to this action through forced swimming test (FST).

METHODS

The chemical profile of EOZC obtained by GC-MS. The mice received EOZC (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) 1 h before the FST intraperitoneally. Moreover, naloxone (non-selective antagonist for opioid receptor subtypes, 1 mg/kg), prazosin (α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg), yohimbine (α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg), propranolol (β-adrenergic receptor antagonist, 2 mg/kg), WAY100635 (selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, 0.1 mg/kg), ondansetron (5-HT3 receptor antagonist, 1 mg/kg), haloperidol (non-selective dopamine receptor blocker, 0.2 mg/kg), SCH23390 (selective dopamine D1 receptor blocker, 0.05 mg/kg), sulpiride (selective dopamine D2 receptor blocker, 50 mg/kg) and flumazenil (GABAA/BDZ receptor antagonist, 10 mg/kg) were used to ascertain the neural pathways implicated in the antidepressant-like response of EOZC.

RESULTS

The GC-MS evaluation demonstrated that predominant components of EOZC comprised carvacrol (65.22 %), thymol (19.51 %), p-cymene (4.86 %), γ-terpinene (4.63 %) and E-Caryophyllene (1.07 %). EOZC exhibited a significant dose-dependent effect that resulted in a marked decrease in the duration of immobility time (P < 0.05). The antidepressant-like action of EOZC was reversed by prazosin, yohimbine, WAY100635, ondansetron, haloperidol, SCH23390 and sulpiride. However, this effect remained unaffected by naloxone, propranolol and flumazenil.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that EOZC elicits antidepressant-like response, which relies on its interaction with noradrenergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways.