119-128Siotone (ST) is a herbal formulation comprising
of Withania somnifera, Ocimum sanctum, Asparagus racemosus, Tribulus
terristris and shilajit, all of which are classified in Ayurveda as rasayanas
which are reputed to promote physical and mental health, improve
defence mechanisms of the body and enhance longevity. These attributes are similar to
the modern concept of adaptogenic agents, which are, known to afford protection
of the human physiological system against diverse stressors.
The present study was undertaken to investigate the adaptogenic activity of ST against
chronic unpredictable, but mild, footshock stress induced perturbations in
behaviour (depression), glucose metabolism, suppressed
male sexual behaviour, immunosuppression
and cognitive dysfunction in CF strain albino rats. Gastric ulceration,
adrenal gland and spleen weights, ascorbic acid and corticosterone concentrations
of adrenal cortex, and plasma corticosterone levels, were used as the
stress indices. Panax ginseng (PG) was used as the standard adaptogenic agent
for comparison.
Additionally, rat brain levels of tribulin
, an endogenous endocoid postulated to be involved in stress, were also assessed in
terms of endogenous monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and MAOB inhibitory activity. Chronic
unpredictable footshock induced marked gastric ulceration, significant
increase in adrenal gland weight and plasma corticosterone
levels, with
concomitant decreases in spleen weight, and concentrations of adrenal gland
ascorbic acid and corticosterone. These effects were
attenuated by ST (50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o) and PG (100 mg/kg, p.o), administered once
daily over a period of 14 days, the period of stress induction. Chronic stress
also induced glucose intolerance, suppressed male sexual behaviour.
Induced behavioural depression (Porsolt 's swim despair test and learned helplessness
test) and cognitive dysfunction (attenuated retention of learning in active and
passive avoidance tests), and immunosuppression (leucocyte migration inhibition
and sheep RBC challenged increase in paw oedema in sensitized rats). All these chronic
stress-induced perturbations were attenuated, dose-dependently
by ST (50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) and PG (100 mg/kg, p.o.). Chronic stress-induced increase in rat brain tribulin activity
was also reversed by these doses of ST and by PG. The results indicate that ST has significant
adaptogenic activity, qualitatively comparable to PG, against a variety of behavioural,
biochemical and physiological perturbations induced by unpredictable
stress, which has been proposed to be a better indicator of clinical stress than
acute stress parameters. The likely contribution of the individual constituents
of ST in the observed adaptogenic action of the polyherbal formulation, have been
discussed