Abstract:
In the present study, we identified the effects of
inhaled Pimpinella peregrina essential oil (1 and 3 %, for 21
continuous days) on scopolamine-induced memory impairment,
anxiety, and depression in laboratory rats. Y-maze and
radial arm-maze tests were used for assessing memory processes.
Also, the anxiety and depressive responses were studied
by means of the elevated plus-maze and forced swimming
tests. The scopolamine alone-treated rats exhibited the following:
decrease of the spontaneous alternation percentage in
Y-maze test, increase of the number of working and reference
memory errors in radial arm-maze test, along with decrease of
the exploratory activity, the percentage of the time spent and
the number of entries in the open arm within elevated
plus-maze test and decrease of swimming time and increase
of immobility time within forced swimming test. Inhalation of
the P. peregrina essential oil significantly improved memory
formation and exhibited anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like
effects in scopolamine-treated rats. Our results suggest that
the P. peregrina essential oil inhalation ameliorates
scopolamine-induced memory impairment, anxiety, and depression.
Moreover, studies on the P. peregrina essential oil
may open a new therapeutic window for the prevention of neurological abnormalities closely related to Alzheimer’s
disease.
Description:
Compliance with Ethical Standards Rats were treated in accordance
with the guidelines of the animal bioethics of the Act on Animal
Experimentation and Animal Health and Welfare from Romania and all
procedures were in compliance with Directive 2010/63/EU of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the
protection of animals used for scientific purposes. This study was approved
by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Alexandru
Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Permit Number: 2192) and also, efforts were
made to minimize animal suffering and to reduce the number of animals
used.
