Effect of Hordeum vulgare, Moringa oleifera, and Vitex negundo extracts on the hippocampus and memory of Mus musculus

Abstract

Background: Herbal medicines such as Hordeum vulgare, Moringa oleifera, and Vitex negundo are widely recognized around the world as dietary supplements, remedy for ailments, and bodily sustenance. Moreover, studies have shown that intake these herbal medicines can have an effect in the memory retention in mice; however, no further studies have been conducted in comparing between barley, moringa, and lagundi and their optimal dosages on treatments for the effect of memory in mice. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to comparatively assess the effects barley, moringa, and lagundi extracts on the histology of the hippocampus and its effect on memory using the Morris Water Maze test. Materials and Methods: The extracts were orally administered to the mice with three specific dosages (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, and 750 mg/kg) of each herbal supplements, barley, moringa, and lagundi. The mice were subjected to a 2-day water maze test, and mice were sacrificed thereafter. Neurological effects such as hippocampal reduction and degeneration were analyzed histologically. Results: Results showed that there are no differences between the different treatments at all dosages with the control group; therefore, memory improvement or impairment was not exhibited during the maze test. In the histological analysis, however, it showed that barley did not show any effect on the histology of hippocampal neurons with the cells within the normal limit and did not undergo cell degeneration. Moringa and lagundi, on the other hand, resulted to neurotropic effects of impaired hippocampal neurons with lagundi causing more damage than moringa. Conclusion: There are no effects on memory between the three treatments administered to the mice. However, neuronal damage on the other may result from moringa and lagundi administration.