**8.3 Stress reduction and cytoprotective effect**

The anxiolytic properties of water and ethanolic extract of SB leaves (SBLE) at daily doses ranging from 50 to 300 mg/kg bw for 17 days were compared to L-theanine as positive control and saline in a model of electric foot shock stress in mice [38]. Corticosterone-induced impairment model was also studied in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line. Corticosterone-induced decrease in cellular viability was restored by different SB extracts at the concentration of 30 ug/ml. The group receiving SBLE exhibited a significantly reduced stress-induced increase in immobility times compared with the mice in the EFS group. Moreover, SBLE consumption increased climbing times in forced swim tests induced by electric foot shocks in the stressed mice. The levels of CORT, dopamine, and norepinephrine were increased, and the level of serotonin in the hippocampus was decreased in the electric foot shock stress model. The standardized SB extract effectively restored abnormal CORT and monoamine levels in the hippocampus to normal levels. These findings suggest anti-stress and neuroprotective properties of SB leaf extract in vivo.
