Coumarin compounds of Biebersteinia multifida roots show potential anxiolytic effects in mice

Traditional preparations of the root of Biebersteinia multifida DC, a native medicinal plant of Irano-Turanian floristic region, have been used for the treatment of phobias as anxiolytic herbal preparation. The authors utilized the phobic behavior of mice in an elevated plus-maze as a model to evaluate the anxiolytic effect of the plant extract. Bio-guided fractionation was applied to isolate the active compounds. The total root extract exhibited anxiolytic effect which was comparable to diazepam but with longer duration. Bio-guided fractionation using a variety of chromatographic methods led to isolation and purification of three coumarin derivatives from the bioactive fraction, including umbelliferone, scopoletin, and ferulic acid. For the first time, bio-guided fractionation of the root extract of B. multifida indicates significant sustained anxiolytic effects which led to isolation of three coumarin derivatives with well-known potent MAO inhibitory and anti-anxiety effects.