Bacopa monnieri (BM) is a perennial herb, with a historic nootropic image and utility in ayurvedic system of medicine, for the management of various central nervous system disorders like epilepsy, depression and memory deficit amongst others. We investigated the effects of acute and sub chronic (one week) treatment of BM methanolic extract (Mt-ext BM) on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) turn over in mice whole brain. Mt-ext BM was screened on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) detection for the quantification of BM major bioactive compound, Bacoside A, mainly comprising of Bacopasaponin C, Bacoside A3, and Bacopaside ll. For acute study, mice groups were administered single dose of 10, 20 or 30 mg/kg of Mt-ext BM orally, while in sub chronic study separate groups received single daily dose of 10, 20 or 30 mg/kg of Mt-ext BM orally for one week. Animals were killed 1 h after the dose by decapitation, and whole brains were excised and analyzed on HPLC coupled with electrochemical detector for changes in DA, 5-HT, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5 hydroxyindolacetic acid (5HIAA). Our results show that both acute and sub chronic oral administration of Mt-ext BM have no significant effect on DA and 5-HT turn over. The neurotransmitters data reflects safety of the BM in acute and sub chronic uses from DA and 5-HT modulation and subsequent pre disposition to neuropsychiatric problems. Although more studies are warranted to explore BM role in DA and 5-HT interplay in specified brain regions.

Key words: Bacoside A, Bacopa monnieri, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT).