Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil inhalation prevents memory impairment, anxiety and depression in scopolamine-treated rats.
Anthriscus nemorosa (Bieb.) Sprengel is used for medicinal purposes in traditional medicine around the world, including Turkey. Ethnobotanical studies suggest that Anthriscus essential oil could improve memory in Alzheimer's disease. The current study was hypothesized to investigate the beneficial effects of inhaled Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil on memory, anxiety and depression in scopolamine-treated rats. Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil was administered by inhalation in the doses of 1% and 3% for 21 continuous days and scopolamine (0.7mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 30min before the behavioral testing. Y-maze and radial arm-maze tests were used for assessing memory processes. Also, the anxiety and depressive responses were studied by elevated plus-maze and forced swimming tests. As expected, the scopolamine alone-treated rats exhibited the following: decrease the percentage of the spontaneous alternation in Y-maze test, increase the number of working and reference memory errors in radial arm-maze test, 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. However, dual scopolamine and Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil-treated rats showed significant improvement of memory formation and exhibited anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects in scopolamine-treated rats. These results suggest that Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil inhalation can prevent scopolamine-induced memory impairment, anxiety and depression.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Firat University, 23119 Elazig, Turkey.
Eyup
E
Bagci
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Firat University, 23119 Elazig, Turkey.
Emel
E
Aydin
Department of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Bd. Carol I, No.11, 700506, Romania.
Eugen
E
Ungureanu
Department of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Bd. Carol I, No.11, 700506, Romania. Electronic address: hritcu@uaic.ro.
Lucian
L
Hritcu
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019661:Apiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012601:Scopolamine; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D013550:Swimming
D009822:Oils, Volatile; D012601:Scopolamine
Alzheimer’s disease; Anthriscus nemorosa essential oil; Anxiety; Depression; Memory; Scopolamine