Comparative Study on the Effect of Bacopa monniera and Omega3 Fatty Acids on the Cortisol Hormone Level in Cold Stress Induced Wistar Albino Rats

In recent years, researchers have identified several natural compounds that could potentially help to retard mental stress. Extracts of Bacopa monniera (BM), a traditional ayurvedic medicine and omega3 faffy acids (OFA) have been reported to enhance effects mental functions by combating the stress. However, there is still an lacunae studies on which of those two drugs has better results on cortisol hormonal changes due to stress. The current study aimed to compare the effects of BM and omega3 fatty acids on cold stress induced Wistar rats. We divided the animals into seven groups. Group I was control in which rats were kept under ideal laboratory conditions, Group II was given cold water swim stress for a period of one month after which the rats were sacrificed for hormonal assay, Group III in which cold water swim stress given for a month followed by oral administration of normal saline as vehicle for a month, Group IV and V in which cold water swim stress given for a month followed by oral administration of BM extracts 40mg/kg and 80mg/kg respectively as treatment for a month. Group VI and VII includes cold stress followed by oral gavages of OFA 60mg/Kg of Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) for 2 weeks (short-term model) and 4 weeks (long term model) respectively. After the treatment period blood was collected and cortisol assay was done. The data were compared with those of control rats. The results showed an increase in the cortisol level in the stressed group of rats when compared to the treatment group. These results indicate that oral administration of high dose of BM and long-term administration of OFA improves the cortisol level and helps in controlling the stress in rats.