Anti-stress effect of ethyl acetate soluble fraction of Morus alba in chronic restraint stress.

Context: Restraint stress is a well-known method to induce chronic stress which leads to alterations in various behavioral and biochemical parameters.

Objective: The present work was designed to study anti-stress effects of Morus alba in chronic restraint stress (RS)-induced perturbations in behavioral, biochemical and brain oxidative stress status.

Materials And Methods: The stress was produced by restraining the animals inside an adjustable cylindrical plastic tube for 3 h once daily for ten consecutive days. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction of Morus alba (EASF) 25, 50, 100 mg/kg and diazepam (1 mg/kg) per day was administered 60 min prior to the stress procedure. The behavioral and biochemical parameters such as open field, cognitive dysfunction; leucocytes count; blood glucose and corticosteroid levels were determined. On day 10, the rats were sacrificed and biochemical assessment of superoxide dismutase (SOD), lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GSH) in whole rat brain were performed.

Results: Chronic restraint stress produced cognitive dysfunction, altered behavioral parameters, increased leucocytes count, SOD, LPO, glucose and corticosterone levels, with concomitant decrease in CAT and GSH activities. Gastric ulceration, adrenal gland and spleen weights were also used as the stress indices. All these RS induced perturbations were attenuated by EASF of Morus alba.

Discussion: The results of the study suggest that in addition to its classically established pharmacological activities, the plant also has immense potential as an anti-stress agent of great therapeutic relevance.

Conclusion: This study indicates the beneficial role of Morus alba for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced disorders.