Ceratonia siliqua L. seed peels: Phytochemical profile, antioxidant activity, and effect on mood disorders

Abstract

The antioxidant activity of Carob seed peels extracts, obtained by sequential extraction with different polarities of solvents, was evaluated by using different in vitro assays: diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power activity and phosphomolybdenum assay. The effect of Carob seed peels extracts on mood disorders and anxiety was accessed by the y-maze, elevated plus maze and forced swimming tests. The results showed that the phenolic compounds and the antioxidant capacity varied significantly with the nature of solvent of extraction. Both acetone and ethyl acetate extracts enhanced the spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze task and the time spent on open arms in the elevated plus maze task. However, the acetonic extract proved its efficacy in the forced swimming test. Thus, the carob seed peel revealed a strong antioxidant activity and proved its potential to open a new mechanistically approaches of antidepressant and anxiolytic drug development.

Keywords

• Carob seed peel
• Phenolic compounds
• Antioxidant activity
• Oxidative stress
• Depression
• Anxiety