Title : Mechanistic insights into antistress potential of phytonutrients: Exploring behavioral and biochemical changes in stress model of zebrafish
Abstract:
Anxiety is a neuropsychiatric disorder that disrupts daily life by affecting mood and motivation. Excessive anxiety can lead to mental health issues such as depression and panic attacks. These are commonly treated by synthetic chemical medication, which poses numerous side effects such as memory loss, agitation, nausea, sedation, disturbed sleep and the risk of dependence. To address these issues, there is an increasing interest in investigating plant-based biological molecules belonging to phenolics, alkaloids, and triterpenoids families, which have been demonstrated to have effective therapeutic benefits against anxiety. However, there is insufficient information about the mechanisms of their action. Therefore, exploring the mechanism of the anti-anxiety effects of such phytoconstituents becomes crucial. The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) model of zebrafish has appeared as a suitable model organism for the study of anxiety and depression. In our studies, phytoconstituents such as Piperine, Gallic acid, Eugenol and Saponin have been shown to exert anti-anxiety effects in the CUS model of zebrafish. The biochemical mechanisms underlying anxiety and depression have also been identified. Interestingly, the active phytoconstituent treatment of stressed zebrafish showed a reversal of behavioural alterations caused by CUS. The reversal of the behavioural alteration upon phytoconstituent treatment was found to significantly increase the levels of dopamine and serotonin leading to decreased oxidative stress and thus anxiolytic activity. These findings underscore the importance of exploring natural compounds for their therapeutic potential against neurochemical modifications caused by stress. Further human trials are recommended to validate the efficacy and safety of phytochemicals in managing psychiatric disorders.
