title: Anxiolytic activity of a supercritical carbon dioxide extract of Souroubea sympetala (Marcgraviaceae).
abstract: The purpose of this work was to develop an extraction technique to yield a betulinic acid-(BA) enriched extract of the traditional anti-anxiety plant Souroubea sympetala Gilg (Marcgraviaceae). Five extraction techniques were compared: supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCE), conventional solvent extraction with ethyl acetate (EtOAc), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) and soxhlet extraction (Sox). The EtOAc and SCE extraction methods resulted in BA-enriched extracts, with BA concentrations of 6.78 ± 0.2 and 5.54 ± 0.2 mg/g extract, respectively, as determined by HPLC-APCI-MS. The bioactivity of the BA-enriched extracts was compared in the elevated plus maze (EPM), a validated rodent anxiety behaviour assay. Rats orally administered a 75 mg/kg dose of SCE extract exhibited anxiolysis as compared with vehicle controls, with a 50% increase in the percent time spent in the open arms, a 73% increase in unprotected head dips and a 42% decrease in percent time spent in the closed arms. No significant differences were observed between the SCE and EtOAc extracts for these measures, but the animals dosed with SCE extract had significantly more unprotected head dips than those dosed with the EtOAc extract. The SCE extract demonstrated a dose-response in the EPM, with a trend toward decreased anxiety at 25 mg/kg, and significant anxiolysis was only observed at 75 mg/kg dose. This study demonstrates that SCE can be used to generate a betulinic acid-enriched extract with significant anxiolysis in vivo. Further, the study provides a scientific basis for the ethnobotanical use of this traditional medicine and a promising lead for a natural health product to treat anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Biopharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1N 6N5.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mullally
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kramp
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cayer
authors.forename: Ammar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saleem
authors.forename: Fida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Calum
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McRae
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goulah
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otorola
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poveda
authors.forename: Zul
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Merali
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Durst
authors.forename: Vance L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Trudeau
authors.forename: John Thor
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Arnason
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000094062:Betulinic Acid
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014315:Triterpenes; D000094062:Betulinic Acid