Behavioral Evaluation for Aqueous and Ethanol Extracts of Suaeda vermiculata Forssk.

Suaeda vermiculata is one of the widely distributed halophytes in central Saudi Arabia. The plant is used as a remedy for liver diseases, jaundice, and inflammation. S. vermiculata is also used as camels' food by local shepherds.The study amid to evaluate the behavioral antidepressant and anxiolytic of S. vermiculata aqueous and ethanol extracts. The study also evaluates the phytochemical properties of the extracts by the FT-IR.Aqueous and ethanol extracts of S. vermiculata were prepared by the maceration technique and were chemically evaluated by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Standard forced swimming cylinder and light/dark chamber device were used to evaluate the antidepressant and anxiolytic activities of the extracts in rats' model, respectively.Differences between both extracts were demonstrated in the fingerprint region the FT-IR spectrum however, district bands and peaks for flavonoids were elucidated in the ethanol extract. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of S. vermiculata showed remarkable antidepressant activity with significant increase in the swimming time and reduce immobility in the rats compared to imipramine group of animals (P<0.05). In contrast, the extracts were inducing the anxiety behavior in experimental rats. The extracts were significantly (P<0.001) reduced the time spend by rats in light and increased the time spend in dark chambers as compared with control group receiving diazepam.The medicinally important plant, S. vermiculata induce anxiety behavior with potential antidepressant activity. These effects are similar to some common beverages containing caffeine such as coffee and tea.