| Abstract |
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Background: Biopsychosocial factors, including poor lifestyle, contribute to anxiety disorders. Thus modification of diet may be one option for management of anxiety. Purpose: This study examined the association between intake of diets enriched with plants containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) viz. flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds, and the prevalence of anxiety in experimental animals. Methods: Flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds enriched diets were prepared. Mice were fed these diets for one month, after which the anti-anxiety effect of the diets on the experimental animals was evaluated using the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) model. The physicochemical parameters of standard and test diets were determined. Effect of n-hexane and methanol extracts of flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds were also examined using EPM in mice with the objective of confirming that the anxiolytic effect was due to fatty acids present in the seeds. Results: Pretreatment with flaxseeds enriched diet (10% w/w) produced significant increase in time spent by mice in the open arms of EPM in comparison to standard diet. Furthermore, the n-hexane extract of flax seed (100 mg/kg; p.o.) showed marked anxiolytic-like effect, comparable to diazepam. Phytochemical evaluation of the n-hexane extract showed the presence of fatty acids. Conclusion: These results suggest that dietary modification, by incorporation of flaxseeds, can reduce the incidence of anxiety in experimental animals and may be attributed to the PUFAs present in flax seeds. |
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