Evaluating the antidepressant-like properties of Sceletium tortuosum, alone and as adjunctive treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Millions of people worldwide suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) which can cause physical and emotional suffering for patients and their loved-ones.Unfortunately current treatment fails in approximately a third of MDD patients.This may be attributed to numerous side effects, delayed onset of action, and ineffective targeting of the many different, interrelated biological systems.This includes structural and functional brain alterations driven especially by decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotransmitter abnormalities such as reduced monoamines (serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE)).Evidently, new and more effective treatments are urgently needed.Fortunately, complementary medicines like plants and herbs with antidepressant effects offer untapped potential.This study set out to evaluate the antidepressant potential of the South African plant, Sceletium tortuosum (L.) N.E.Br.(Zembrin®) (ST), which displays diverse pharmacological attributes that offer potential antidepressant activity, e.g.5-HT transporter (SERT) inhibition, upregulation of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT-2), mild MAO-A inhibition, and inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4).These mechanisms have almost all been studied in vitro, leaving an urgent need for in vivo studies.Furthermore, ST has not been tested in combination with known antidepressant compounds to evaluate its potential as a possible augmentative therapy for MDD.AIM: To use…
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