PRE-CLINICAL NEUROPHARMACOLOGY EFFICACY AND TOXICITY OF AVENIA SATIVAUM IN RATS

Objective: The present study investigates the neuropharmacological potential of methanolic and ethanolic leaf extracts of Avena sativa L. in experimental models of depression. Methods: Acute toxicity evaluation revealed no mortality, morbidity, or behavioral abnormalities following a single oral dose of 2000 mg/kg, confirming the safety of both extracts. Based on this, 100 and 200 mg/kg doses were selected for behavioral assessment. Antidepressant-like activity was evaluated using the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). Result: Rats treated with methanolic extract at 100 mg/kg (arteriovenous methanolic [AVM]-100) exhibited significantly reduced immobility times in both FST (46.2 s) and TST (50.7 s), closely approximating the standard drug (39.6 s and 43.0 s, respectively,**p