Verbena Officinalis L. Herb Extract, Its Amino Acids Preparations and 3D-Printed Dosage Forms: Phytochemical, Technological, and Pharmacological Research

Vervain (Verbena officinalis L., Verbenaceae family) is a perennial plant which grows widely in Europe. Its raw material is rich in iridoids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoid glycosides, flavonoids, and terpenoids. Verbena has traditionally been used in folk medicine to support nervous system health, but there is a lack of scientific data about it. The aim of this study was to explore and characterise the chemical profile and neurotropic effects of V. officinalis dry extracts and its amino acid-based preparations. We determined a total of eight main phenolic compounds and 17 amino acids in the V. officinalis dry extracts. To evaluate the neurotropic effects of the Verbena extracts, the following behavioural pharmacology tests were used: Open Field Test, Elevated Plus Maze, Black-and-White Box Test and Tail Suspension Test. The dry aqueous-ethanolic extract (extractant 70% ethanol) demonstrated strong anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, while its dry modified extracts with valine and arginine consistently exhibited pronounced sedative activity across all studies. For example, the Tail Suspension Test demonstrated that the total immobility time in animals receiving the dry aqueous-ethanolic extract was the lowest, being 1.22-fold (p < 0.05) lower than in intact animals and 2.25-fold (p < 0.05) lower than in the animals treated with the reference drug preparation (“Sedaphyton”). A novel aqueous-based gel formulation feasible for semi-solid extrusion (SSE) 3D printing was designed. This printing gel enables the fabrication of new oral dosage forms for V. officinalis dry extracts.