“ANTIDEPRESSIVE AND ANSIOLYTIC ACTION OF OPUNTIA FICUS - INDICA L. MILL IN RATTUS NORVEGICUS”

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.813422408021

• Palavras-chave: Depresión, Ansiedad, Memoria espacial, Trastornos, ratas

• Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Spatial memory, Disorders, rats

• Abstract: Anxiety and depression disorders can affect spatial memory. In this article, the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of macerated pulp and peel of Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill were evaluated. This function was studied in an animal model of depression. Rattus N. (n:12) males, were divided according to the administration of the hydroalcoholic extract into a control group, a group which pulp was administered (concentration of 223.4 mg/dl at a dose of 60 mg every 12h/8d) and a group to which the peel was administered (concentration of 730 mg/dl at a dose of 180 mg every 12h/6d). After treatment, depression was measured by forced swimming, anxiety by gripping technique and spatial memory by the Morris water maze, which was designed by R.G. Morris. In forced swimming, the control group had an average of 705,750s, while the pulp group had 1260,750s and the peel group had 768,750s; in the grip test, the control group had an average of 6,250s, while the pulp group had 17,000s and the peel group had 12,750s; in the Morris water maze test, the control group had 266,000s, the pulp group had 116,250s and the peel group had 142,250s. Through the t-student test, the control group, pulp group and peel group were compared. These results suggest that the pulp has, in fact, an effect as antidepressant, anxiolytic and also on spatial memory. On the other hand, the peel only had effects on the spatial memory.