Antidepressant and Antibacterial Activities of Camellia sinensis (White Tea)

Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the antidepressant potential of ethanolic extract of leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis (White tea) at 300 mg/kg doses in mice and antibacterial potential by disc diffusion method. Antidepressant activity of the ethanolic extract of white tea (EEWT) was assessed by using hole cross test, open field test and thiopental induced sleeping time test in swiss albino mice. The efficacy of extract (300mg/kg) was compared with standard anxiolytic drugs diazepam (1mg/kg) orally. The extract increased the locomotor activity of mice in open field and hole-cross test significantly (p<0.05). Moreover, the extract significantly (p<0.05) maximized onset of sleep and minimized the duration of sleeping time when administered with thiopental sodium. On the other hand, to determine antibacterial activities, the extract was tested against two Gram positive and five Gram negative bacteria at three concentrations (200, 300, 500μg/disc) through disc diffusion method. The antibacterial activities of ethanolic extract of leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis (white tea) were screened against various pathogenic bacteria such as Streptococcus agalactiae, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Shigella boydii by ‘disc diffusion method’. The zone of inhibition ranges from 6 to 11 mm and the highest zone of inhibition is 11mm which was found for Shigella sonnei at 500μg/disc. Ethanolic extract of Leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis (white tea) exhibited moderate to less activity against some organisms tested compared with the standard antibiotic “Kanamycin”. These findings demonstrate that the extract of leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis have significant antidepressant activity and moderate antibacterial activity