Evaluation Of Antidepressant Activity of Passiflora Edulis in Laboratory Animals

Passion fruit, Passiflora edulis, is a plant with numerous medicinal properties, including antidiabetic, anxiolytic, antineoplastic, antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina and is widely grown in South America, the Caribbean, South Florida, South Africa, and Asia. Passion fruit comes in two forms, standard yellow and standard yellow, with an annual production of about 120 tons. In Bhutan, it is grown in purple and yellow varieties, with the purple variety being the most commonly grown. Passion fruit grows on various soil types and contains chemical components like volatile oils, flavonoids, lipids, triterpenoids, aldehydes, ketones, tridecone, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, quercetin, apigenin, and vitaxin, which can be used for various pharmacological activities. A study aims to assess the anti-depressant properties of Passion fruit in laboratory animals using acute oral toxicity and depression inducing in an animal model. Depressant disorders, characterized by arousal and a sense of terror, are behavioral inhibitions caused by external circumstances. Anxiety disorders are classified based on symptomatology and susceptibility to pharmaceutical and psychological therapies. Generalised anxiety disorder involves excessive worry and concern over life events, objects, and circumstances. The complexity of the central nervous system makes diagnosis, treatment, and mitigation difficult. Research in this field is crucial to reduce the effects of depressant-related disorders worldwide. Theories suggest that certain neurotransmitters, like serotonin, are deregulated. A study assessing the hydroalcoholic extract of Passiflora edulis leaves' hydroalcoholic extract and phytochemical analysis found anti-depressant properties. The study aimed to provide scientific support for these anti-depressant activities, with the hope of further research identifying the exact mechanism of action and isolated chemical responsible for its efficacy.