title: Aqueous extract of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) improves the spatial performance of a rat model of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most important neurodegenerative disorders. It is characterized by dementia including deficits in learning and memory. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) on spatial performance of AD rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were first divided into control and AD groups. Rat model of AD was established by intracerebroventricular injection of 10 μg Aβ1-42 20 d prior to administration of the lavender extract. Rats in both groups were then introduced to 2 stages of task learning (with an interval of 20 d) in Morris water maze, each followed by one probe test. After the first stage of spatial learning, control and AD animals received different doses (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) of the lavender extract.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the first stage of experiment, the latency to locate the hidden platform in AD group was significantly higher than that in control group. However, in the second stage of experiment, control and AD rats that received distilled water (vehicle) showed similar performance, indicating that the maze navigation itself could improve the spatial learning of AD animals. Besides, in the second stage of experiment, control and AD rats that received lavender extract administration at different doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/ kg) spent less time locating the platform (except for the AD rats with 50 mg/kg extract treatment), as compared with their counterparts with vehicle treatment, respectively. In addition, lavender extract significantly improved the performance of control and AD rats in the probe test, only at the dose of 200 mg/kg, as compared with their counterparts with vehicle treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lavender extract can effectively reverse spatial learning deficits in AD rats.
authors: Proteomics Research Center, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Masoud Soheili
authors: MS
authors: Kashani
authors: Mostafa Rezaei
authors: MR
authors: Tavirani
authors: Sayyed Alireza
authors: SA
authors: Talaei
authors: Mahmoud
authors: M
authors: Salami
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000633:toxicity; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular / Q000379:methods; D027523:Lavandula / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000633:toxicity; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D028321:Plant Preparations; C075222:amyloid beta-protein (1-42)