Abstract:
Pimpinella peregrina is a member of the Apiaceae family comprising approximately 150 species
distributed in the northern hemisphere. The seeds of Pimpinella species have been used in folk
medicine, pharmacy and food industry, mainly due to its essential oil attributes. Neuropsychiatric
symptoms such as depression, apathy, aggression, and psychosis are recognized as core features of
Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, we identified the effects of inhaled Pimpinella peregrina
essential oil (1 and 3 %, for 21 continuous days) on scopolamine-induced anxiety, and depression in
laboratory rats. The anxiety and depressive responses were studied by means of the elevated plusmaze
and forced swimming tests. The scopolamine alone-treated rats exhibited the following:
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 exhibited anxiolytic- and
antidepressant-like effects in scopolamine-treated rats. Our results suggest that the P. peregrina
essential oil inhalation ameliorates scopolamine-induced 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.
