Abstract

FROM MONOAMINES TO OXIDATIVE STRESS- TARGETS AND HERBAL APPROACH IN DEPRESSION

*Dharti M. Panchal and Dr. Kedar S. Prabhavalkar

Abstract

Depression is the major leading common mental disorder affecting people at a large. The treatment options are not limited but due to non-compliance, resistance and side effects of conventional therapies, the positive outcome is limited. Hence, there is a need for different options, which can overcome these limitations. Other treatment option can be of herbal origin. There are many research studies going on to find a safe and efficacious therapy with various mechanism that can be used in depression. Oxidative stress and inflammation apart from the basic hypothesis of monoamines (5-HT, DA and NA) are also the root cause that leads to depression. There are many studies on drugs that targets monoaminergic pathways and other mechanisms. This paper will give insights on the herbal options that can be useful in reducing depressive symptoms caused by stress, oxidative stress and inflammation. The role and source of omega 3 fatty acids and its mechanism in reducing depressive symptoms are discussed in this review.

Keywords: Serotonin (5-HT), Dopamine(DA), Noradrenaline/Norepinephrine (NA/NE), ALA (Alpha linolenic acid), DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), SOD (Superoxide dismutase), Omega 3 fatty acids, Flaxseeds.