Antidepressant Activity of Toxicodendron succedaneum (l) Kuntze Leaves Extract

D. Sunitha¹*, K. Pravalika², B. Bhavani³, M Sudhakar⁴

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy,

Maisammaguda, Secunderabad, Telangana, Osmania University, India.

^2,3Department of Pharmacology, Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy,

Maisammaguda, Secunderabad, Telangana, India.

⁴Department of Pharmaceutics, Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy,

Maisammaguda, Secunderabad, Telangana, India.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: basasunitha@gmail.com, chmrcp@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Toxicodendron succedaneum (L.) Kuntze (synonym: Rhus succedanea L.) is a tree in the family of Anacardiaceae. T. succedaneum has been using to treat diarrhoea, nose and gum bleedings, vomiting, dysentery, cough, tuberculosis, fever, asthma, liver ailments, and ear infections in traditional medicines. Phytochemicals such as agathis flavone, rhus flavone, robusta flavone, succedanea flavanone, and volkensi flavone were isolated from this plant species. Various parts of T. succedaneum disclosed such as antibacterial, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral activities. Anticancer, antioxidant, and antiviral compounds have been identified from this plant species. Further bioactivity and phytochemical studies should make it possible to obtain additional scientific evidence. Based on the presence of the various chemical constituent’s antidepressant activity was performed using aqueous and alcoholic leaves extract.

KEYWORDS: Toxicodendron succedaneum, Rhus succedanea, Antidepressant activity, forced swim test, tail suspension test.

INTRODUCTION:

World is endowed with a rich wealth of medicinal plants. Herbs have always been the principle form of medicine in India and presently they are becoming popular throughout the developed world, as the people strive to stay healthy in the face of chronic stress and pollution and to treat illness with medicines that work in concern with the body’s own defenses.

Herbal medicines generally have fewer side effects than synthetic compounds, and their effectiveness can be improved by modern pharmacological¹. Pharmaceutical industries are giving importance for plant drugs in their search for new molecules.

Depression:

It is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders affecting humankind. It has been estimated that depression is second leading cause of disability worldwide after ischemic heart disease. Depression is often associated with comorbid psychiatric disorders, mostly anxiety disorders, (generalized anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder), epilepsy and cognitive disorders impairing memory. The mechanism responsible for depression is believed to be depletion of catecholamine at the synapse in Central Nervous System.

Neurotransmitter abnormalities in depression:

Catecholamine depletion:

The pharmacological alteration of catecholamines induced depressive symptoms suggests that depression results from reduced availability or dysfunctioning of 5-HT or norepinephrine².

Increased Cholinergic Sensitivity:

Acetylcholine agonists, cholinesterase inhibitors, and acetylcholine precursors have been shown to despair the mood in depression. Furthermore, abnormal levels of cortical choline which is acetylcholine precursor have been reported in several brain imaging studies. It should be noted that these increased levels of choline may be localized in the frontal cortex with decreased levels of choline in other brain regions. Imbalance in aminergic and cholinergic imbalance may play a role in depression. Thus, based on these theories there is assumption that no single neurotransmitter abnormality underlies depression.

Plant Introduction:

Leaves of Toxicodendron succedaneum (L) Kuntze³ belongs to the genus Rhus. More than 250 species of the genus Rhus (family Anacardiaceae, order Sapindales) may be found in the tropics, subtropics, and temperate zones. Traditional medicines have made considerable use of extracts and products from Rhus species to treat bacterial, fungal, and protozoal illnesses in both people and animals. These products are regarded as valuable remedies. For the majority of Rhus species, there are not enough scientific studies performed.

Leaves of Toxicodendron succedaneum

Chemical Composition:

Secondary metabolites such flavonoids, urushiols, and terpenoids have been found in abundance in Rhus species in previous phytochemical research. Kaempferol, 7-O-methyl isokaemferide, quercetin, 7,3′-O-dimethyl quercetin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, rutin, myricetin, fisetin, apigenin, and luteolin are only some of the flavonoids found in these plants. Daidzein, orobol, etc. are isoflavonoids⁴.

Pharmacological activity of Rhus species:

The conditions treated include Coughs, diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, jaundice, hepatitis, malaria, snakebite, indigestion, haemorrhages, hyperglycemia, stomach illnesses, fever, dermatitis, diabetes, obesity, paralysis, colitis, diarrhoea, haemoptysis, analgesia, and conjunctivitis, as well as general weakness, painful mouths and throats, rectal haemorrhage, and uterine disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Plant Material Collection:

In the month of April, Toxicodendron succedaneum leaves were gathered in Hyderabad, Telangana. After being cleaned and chopped into small pieces, the plant material was allowed to air dry at room temperature in the shade before being roughly ground into powder in a mixer. The powdered material was used for the extraction procedure.

Preparation of Plant Extracts:

1. Preparation of Aqueous Extract:

Toxicodendron succedaneum fresh leaves gathered were rinsed with tap water and shade dried. To prepare the leaves extract, 200g of finely chopped leaves were added to a 250ml beaker along with 200ml of water. Following thorough mixing, the material was boiled for four to five hours at 80 -100^oC. Whatmann filter paper was used to further filter the extract. Boiling the filtrate produced a concentrated residue. The concentrated product was utilized for additional experiments to verify the activities, later it was packed in sample covers and kept at room temperature⁵.

2. Preparation of Alcoholic Extract:

Toxicodendron succedaneum fresh leaves were gathered and given a quick rinse with tap water. To make the leaves extract, 20grams of finely chopped leaves were added to a 250ml beaker along with 200ml of alcohol. After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, the mixture was cooked for four to five hours at between 50 and 60^oC. Whatmann filter paper was used to further filter the extract. Boiling the filtrate produced a concentrated residue. The concentrated product was utilized for additional experiments to verify the activities, later it was packed in sample covers and kept at room temperature.

Phytochemical Investigation of Alcoholic Extract of Toxicodendron succedaneum

S.No.	Phytoconstituents	*Toxicodendron succedaneum*
S.No.	Phytoconstituents	Aqueous extract	Alcoholic extract
1	Alkaloids	+	+
2	Flavonoids	+	+
3	Phenolic compounds	+	+
4	Tannins	+	-
5	Glycosides	+	+
6	Aminoacids	+	+
7	Terpenoids	+	+
8	Anthroquinones	-	+
9	Carbohydrates	+	+
10	Lipids	+	+
11	Saponins	-	-
‘+’ Indicates Presence, ‘-’ Indicates Absence

Preparation of Extracts^6-10

Toxicodendron succedaneum extracts, both aqueous and alcoholic, suspended in water with 3% v/v Tween-80 solution.

For the purpose of experimentation, all medications were taken orally. When necessary, extract preparations were made each time. For every animal, the dosage of the medications was maintained at 10ml per kg.

Experimental design: Animals were Divided into 4 Groups of Six Rats Each

Group I - Control group-distilled water (1ml, p.o).

Group II - Standard group - Diazepam (10mg/kg, i.p).

Group III - Test group - aqueous extract of Toxicodendron succedaneum (200mg/kg p.o).

Group IV - Test group - Alcoholic extract of Toxicodendron succedaneum (200mg/kg p.o).

Screening for Antidepressant Activity:^11-21

1. Forced Swim Test: In this experiment, each animal was housed individually in glass cylinder (20 cm high by 14 cm wide) that was 25±2°C and filled with water up to a height of 10 cm. Every animal was made to swim for five minutes, during which time the length of immobility was recorded and monitored. The term "immobility period" refers to the amount of time during which rats remained motionless in the water, only moving in order to maintain their heads above the surface. Each test animal underwent a 15minute swimming exercise as part of a pre-test 24hours before to the Forced Swim Test in order to assess their level of fitness.

The antidepressant efficacy of the aqueous and alcohol solvent soluble fraction of Toxicodendron succedaneum leaves was investigated at a dosage of 200mg/kg.

Swiss albino rats were used for the Forced Swimming Test, which was used to evaluate the antidepressant effects of Aqueous and Alcoholic extracts. When compared to the control, it was shown that the extracts, at a dosage of 200mg/kg, significantly reduced the immobility period in a dose-dependent manner. As anticipated, the animals given diazepam (10mg/kg) also demonstrated a significant reduction in the length of time they were immobile.

Forced Swim test

Graph 2: Duration of Immobility period by Tail Suspension test

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Toxicodendron succedaneum’s antidepressant property in forced swim test (FST) using both aqueous and alcoholic extracts showed good results. When mice are put in an unbreakable water cylinder during a FST, they become immobile, which indicates that their continuous escape-directed activity has stopped. During this test, conventional medications consistently shorten the period of immobility in the animals. It is thought that this reduction in the length of immobility has a strong predictive value when assessing possible antidepressant medications. Because Toxicodendron succedaneum contains a significant variety of phytochemicals, the precise processes behind its antidepressant activity are still unknown⁹. Nonetheless, the extract's saponins, flavonoids, and tannins²² may be responsible for its antidepressant effects which may be due to inhibition of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake in presynaptic terminals, resulting in an increase in their concentration in the synaptic cleft. Increased norepinephrine and serotonin concentrations in the synaptic cleft possibly lead to its antidepressant effect.

CONCLUSION:

The study findings showed that, in animal model systems, the alcoholic and aqueous fractions of Toxicodendron succedaneum leaves exhibited notable CNS antidepressant property. The phytochemicals that make up the plant leaves may have some bearing on their therapeutic qualities. Therefore, more thorough research is required to separate and identify the active ingredients in the plant extract and its different fractions, as well as to determine how effective they are. It will support the creation of cutting-edge, secure medications for the management of various CNS illnesses.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

There is No conflict of interest.

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Received on 15.12.2025 Revised on 07.01.2026

Accepted on 27.01.2026 Published on 22.04.2026

Available online from April 24, 2026

Res.J. Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics.2026;18(2):147-151.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5836.2026.00020

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.

S. No	Group	Dose (i.p; mg/kg)	Immobility period		% change in activity
S. No	Group	Dose (i.p; mg/kg)	Before	After	% change in activity
1	Control	5ml/kg	120.01±3.95	--	---
2	Diazepam	10mg/kg	62.34±12.01	88.17±2.38**	66.49%
3	Aqueous extract	200mg/kg	95.01±2.52*	95.01±2.98**	62.7%
4	Alcoholic extract	200mg/kg	62.34±3.42*	91.84±4.98**	36.07%

S. No	Group	Dose (mg/kg)	Duration of immobility		% Change in activity
S. No	Group	Dose (mg/kg)	Before	After	% Change in activity
1	Control	5ml/kg	247.18±2.92	--	---
2	Diazepam	10mg/kg	187.01±16.69**	205.51±4.84**	66.49%
3	Aqueous extract	200mg/kg	237.18±5.92	221.01±3.37**	62.7%
4	Alcoholic extract	200mg/kg	225.01±2.77	215.01±3.20**	36.07%