title: Effect of acute administration of Pistacia lentiscus L. essential oil on rat cerebral cortex following transient bilateral common carotid artery occlusion.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ischemia/reperfusion leads to inflammation and oxidative stress which damages membrane highly polyunsaturated fatty acids (HPUFAs) and eventually induces neuronal death. This study evaluates the effect of the administration of Pistacia lentiscus L. essential oil (E.O.), a mixture of terpenes and sesquiterpenes, on modifications of fatty acid profile and endocannabinoid (eCB) congener concentrations induced by transient bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) in the rat frontal cortex and plasma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult Wistar rats underwent BCCAO for 20 min followed by 30 min reperfusion (BCCAO/R). 6 hours before surgery, rats, randomly assigned to four groups, were gavaged either with E.O. (200 mg/0.45 ml of sunflower oil as vehicle) or with the vehicle alone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BCCAO/R triggered in frontal cortex a decrease of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the membrane highly polyunsaturated fatty acid most susceptible to oxidation. Pre-treatment with E.O. prevented this change and led further to decreased levels of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as assessed by Western Blot. In plasma, only after BCCAO/R, E.O. administration increased both the ratio of DHA-to-its precursor, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and levels of palmytoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute treatment with E.O. before BCCAO/R elicits changes both in the frontal cortex, where the BCCAO/R-induced decrease of DHA is apparently prevented and COX-2 expression decreases, and in plasma, where PEA and OEA levels and DHA biosynthesis increase. It is suggested that the increase of PEA and OEA plasma levels may induce DHA biosynthesis via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha activation, protecting brain tissue from ischemia/reperfusion injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria, Monserrato, Italy. quartu@unica.it
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quartu
authors.forename: Maria P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boi
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pillolla
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Melis
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poddighe
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Fiacco
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Falconieri
authors.forename: Gianfranca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Murru
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cordeddu
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Collu
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D027927:Pistacia; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D005227:Fatty Acids; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D010938:Plant Oils; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2