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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 1: 49 - 56

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.01.005

Antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of a combination of Saffron and Chamomile in rats and their relationship with serotonin using in vivo methods

  • Amin Faiq ,
  • Ahmad Saara ,
  • Wasim Muhammad ,
  • Khan Asra ,
  • Manzoor Arain Fazal ,
  • Batool Zehra ,
  • Tabassum Saiqa ,
  • Khaliq Saima ,
  • Samad Noreen ,
  • Haider Saida
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  • 1 Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, the Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
    2 Maternal and Children's Health Research Institute, Shunde Women and Children's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Foshan 528300, China
    3 Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
    4 Department of Biosciences, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
    5 Department of Biochemistry, Federal Urdu University of Science, Arts and Technology, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
    6 Department of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
    7 Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 74800, Pakistan

Received date: 2023-11-22

  Accepted date: 2024-05-15

  Online published: 2025-01-10

Supported by

the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan(9447/Sindh/NRPU/R&D/HEC/2017);Aga Khan University Dean’s Startup Fund, Role of Natural Remedies on Psycho-neurological Deficits in Murine Model as Preclinical Studies Associated with or without Diabetes(2017-2021)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore the potential of combining natural herbs like chamomile and saffron for the management of anxiety and depression.

METHODS: A rodent model of Major Depressive Disorder

(MDD) and anxiety, secondary to streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus was made. A total of 6 rat groups were chosen; healthy and diseased controls; and diseased test groups of fluoxetine, saffron, chamomile, and combined saffron and chamomile treated (n = 6/group). Activity by forced swim test (FST), elevated plus maze test (EPMT), and correlations with biochemical markers like serum glucose, tryptophan, C-reactive protein (CRP), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and 5-hydrox-ytryptamine 2C receptor (5HT2CR) expression, were assessed at the end of the 3rd week of the treatment. A one-way analysis of variance with a post-hoc Tukey’s test was applied.

RESULTS: The combined herbal treatment group showed significantly better (P <0.05) than all other groups in terms of anti-hyperglycemic effect. All treatments improved the CRP levels; however, the combination group was also significantly better than fluoxetine and the individual herb groups. Only the herb groups showed efficacy in the FST with added benefits of the combination group over the healthy controls and similar trends in the EPMT. However, expression of 5HT2CR was repressed while BDNF was elevated through treatment.

CONCLUSION: This study shows that in comparison to treatment with a SSRI, and individual herbs, the combination of chamomile and saffron showed overall improved outcomes.

Key words： chamomile; depression; diabetes mellitus; crocus

Cite this article

Amin Faiq , Ahmad Saara , Wasim Muhammad , Khan Asra , Manzoor Arain Fazal , Batool Zehra , Tabassum Saiqa , Khaliq Saima , Samad Noreen , Haider Saida . Antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of a combination of Saffron and Chamomile in rats and their relationship with serotonin using in vivo methods[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(1) : 49 -56 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.01.005

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