Abstract:
Chronic daily life stress is among the leading causes of depression, a predominantly
prevalent psychological disorder affecting millions of people globally. To counter
depression, numerous known and commercially available antidepressant medications, such
as SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs, exist. However, all these medications present a wide range of
unpleasant side effects. Apart from these conventional antidepressants as treatment option,
various vitamins are associated with depression management such as folates. Folate is a
vital component of brain health which plays a role in various pathways, particularly in
neurotransmitter synthesis, such as serotonin and dopamine. The purpose of this
investigation is to examine the prospect of folate as a prevention strategy against
depression. Components such as L-Methyl folate, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin D3 were used
in combination on CUMS model of Sprague dawley rats. Animals used in this study, both
male and female, were categorized into three distinct groups; the control group was given
neither stress nor vitamins, the second group was subjected to stressors and subcutaneous
saline injections, and the third group was subjected to stressors and subcutaneous vitamins
injections daily for 21 days. Anhedonic behavior, locomotor activity, and despair-like
behavior were analyzed by sucrose preference test, open field test, and forced swimming
test to assess the preventive effect of folate in combination with these vitamins on the
behavior of animals exposed to stress. The data revealed that the combination of L-Methyl
folate with vitamins significantly prevented anhedonia, as evidenced by a sucrose
preference of 80% (p < 0.0001). Moreover, it effectively preserved locomotor abilities,
with rats covering a total distance of 80 meters in apparatus of OFT, in comparison to the
50% noted in depressed rats (p < 0.03). Additionally, the combination therapy prevented
despair-like behavior, as shown by a decrease in immobility percentage to 50% compared
to the 70% observed in depressed group (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that folate in
combination with vitamin B2 and D3 can serve as a potential preventative candidate for
stress-related mental health disorders.
