title: Anxiolytic-, antidepressant- and anticonvulsant-like effects of the alkaloid montanine isolated from Hippeastrum vittatum.
abstract: Compounds isolated from different members of the Amaryllidaceae family are becoming relevant options for the treatment of neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, species of the Hippeastrum genus are important source of alkaloids with a wide profile of putative therapeutical applications. Here, we report on the behavioral and pharmaco-toxicological characterization of montanine, an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Hippeastrum vittatum, an ornamental plant found throughout the world. In mice, montanine showed a LD(50) of 64.7 mg/kg and 67.6 mg/kg for male and female, respectively. When given i.p., montanine dose-dependently decreased sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep, protected against pentylenetetrazole-provoked convulsions, increased the number of entries and the time spent in the open arms of an elevated plus maze and augmented the time spent struggling during a forced swimming test. When given immediately after inhibitory avoidance training, montanine did not affect avoidance memory retention in rats. Our results suggest that montanine, as other alkaloids isolated from Amaryllidaceae species, has psychopharmacological activities including anxiolytic, antidepressive and anticonvulsive effects.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av Ipiranga 2752, 90.610-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Flávia Schürmann
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Jean Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: de Andrade
authors.forename: Lia R M
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bevilaqua
authors.forename: Márcia Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: Amélia Teresinha
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.forename: José Angelo Silveira
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Zuanazzi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019668:Liliaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D007546:Isoquinolines; C517208:montanine