Preventing depression through multivitamins: A comparative behavioral analysis in rodent model

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.