The Therapeutic Prospects of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Indole Alkaloids for Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Table 1

The medicinal use of plants for the treatment of depression and/or anxiety.

Plants	Active ingredients	Mechanism of action	Therapeutic purposes	Study type (animal mode/clinical)	References
Actaea racemosa L	Triterpenes and derivatives of flavones	Dopaminergic effect. Also, acts on the hypothalamus vasomotor center	Anxiety and depression	Randomized clinical trial	[26, 27]
Agastache mexicana subsp. Mexicana (Lamiaceae)	Tilianin	The ligand of GABAA/BZDs receptor	Nerve tonic and tranquilizing	Mice	[28, 29]
Agastache mexicana subsp. Xolocotziana (Lamiaceae)	Tilianin	GABAergic activity	Nerve tonic and tranquilizing	Mice	[28, 30]
Annona cherimola Mill. (Annonaceae)	Liriodenine, nornuciferine, and anonaine	Increase in monoaminergic neurotransmission	Anxiety and tranquilizing	Mice	[31]
Hypericum perforatum L (Hypericaceae)	Hyperforin and hypericin	A selective inhibitor of MAO-A and MAO-B; inhibition of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine uptake, the antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor; interactions with the GABA-A receptor	Depression, anxiety, and insomnia	Clinical studies	[32, 33]
Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (Lamiacae)	Linalool and linalyl acetate	Serotonin neurotransmission through 5-HT1A receptors	Depression	Mice; Randomized clinical trial	[34, 35]
Litsea glaucescens (Lauraceae)	Linalool and b-pinene	Interaction with the serotonergic 5-HT1A receptors, α2-adrenoceptor, and the β1-adrenoceptors D1 receptor	Sadness	Mice	[36, 37]
Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae)	Rosmarinic acid and the triterpenoids, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid	Inhibitor of GABA transaminase	Benign palpitations	Randomized clinical trial	[38]
Mimosa pudica (Fabaceae)	Norepinephrine, b-sitosterol, d-pinitol, mimosine	Mediated by the central serotonergic system	Depression and insomnia	Rats	[39]
Passiflora incarnata	Orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and chrysin	GABAA and GABAB receptors agonist	Generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and depression	Clinical studies	[40, 41]
Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus (Gomes) L.R. Landrum	Dichloromethane fraction	Effect on monoamine biosynthesis	Nerve tonic, a calming agent	Mice	[42]
Piper methysticum G. Foster	Kavalactones, Kawain, dihydrokavain	Inhibition of MAO-B and blocked the uptake of noradrenaline	Anxiety	Clinical studies	[43, 44]
Tagetes lucida Cav. (Asteraceae)	Quercetin, caffeic acid, gallic acid	Mediated by 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors	Anxiety and depression	Rats	[45, 46]
Valeriana officinalis L.	Valerenic acid and valerenol	Enhance the response to GABAA receptors	Sleep and anxiety disorders	Mice, clinical studies	[47, 48]