Avaliação dos efeitos antidepressivo e anticonvulsivante do óleo essencial de Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth em camundongos.

Abstract

The essential oil from the leaves of the species Croton heliotropiifolius (OCH) contains a mixture of monoterpenes with various properties described in the literature, including antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant properties. Therefore, products derived from this plant constitute a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment and control of neurological and psychiatric disorders, necessitating research into the development of complementary and alternative medicines. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects of the essential oil from the leaves of Croton heliotropiifolius Kunth in animal models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The work received the appropriate ethical approvals. For the tests of antidepressant action, adult albino mice (Mus musculus), Swiss variety, were used, divided into 5 groups, with 6 animals/group. In the negative control group (CN), the animals received vehicle at 0.1 mL/10 g/weight; in the test groups (GT), OCH in three doses (25; 50; 100 mg/kg); in the positive control group (CP), fluoxetine (30 mg/kg) was administered. The behavioral tests used were the Forced Swimming Test (TNF), the Tail Suspension Test (TSC) and the Open Field Test (TCA). For the anticonvulsant evaluation test, the same variety of animals with n=6 were used, pre-treated with saline solution (0.1 mL/10 g/animal) - negative control (CN1) -, OCH at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg - test groups (GT1) - and with Diazepam (DZP) (4 mg/kg) - positive control (CP1). Epilepsy was induced with pilocarpine at a dose of 400 mg/kg for all animals. Data were analyzed using One-Way ANOVA followed by Tukey's post-test. A significance level of 5% was considered for all tests. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In the TSC and TNF, a significant decrease in immobility time was observed in the TG, as was the case in the CP group, compared to the CN group. Therefore, the 25 mg/kg dose of OCH was chosen for the ACT. The group receiving this dose showed no significant difference compared to the CN group. Regarding anticonvulsant action, the results indicated an increase in the latency to the first seizure in both the group of animals receiving OCH at a dose of 100 mg/kg and DZP, when compared to CN1. Regarding latency to death, an increase in the latency to death was observed in animals pretreated with DZP and with the 200 mg/kg dose of OCH, compared to CN1. Therefore, the data obtained in the tests suggest that OCH has antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects at some of the concentrations tested. However, further trials to validate these promising results are needed. CONCLUSION: This study suggests the potential of OCH, derived from a species widely found in the Brazilian biota, in CNS pathologies, such as depression and epilepsy, and opens doors for further research to be carried out, in alignment with the efforts of the international scientific community for the discovery of new therapeutic lines. Keywords: Croton.