Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective:To verify if the medicinal plants Panax ginseng C.A. Mey, Turnera diffusa Willd. ex Schult., and Heteropterys tomentosa O. Mach., which are amply used by the population as tonics and cognition enhancers, could have a protective effect on cell death by apoptosis, since this could be one of the mechanisms of action of these substances.Methods:Aged male Wistar rats (n=24) were divided into four groups. Over 30 days, three groups received treatments with hydroalcoholic extracts of the plants, and one group received saline solution. A fifth group with young adult male Wistar rats (n=4) received saline solution during the same period. Using the TUNEL technique, the percentage of apoptosis in the hippocampus of these animals was evaluated.Results:No differences were observed between the percentage of apoptotic cells in the hippocampus of aged animals and of young control animals. The percentage of apoptosis in the hippocampus of aged animals treated chronically with the extracts from the three plants also did not differ from the percentage of apoptosis in the hippocampus of the control group of aged animals.Conclusion:Treatment with the hydroalcoholic extracts of Panax ginseng, Turnera diffusa, and Heteropterys tomentosa did not influence the apoptosis of the hippocampal cells of aged rats.
Highlights
The process of aging causes a series of physiological and anatomical alterations[1]
Considering cognitive decline resulting from aging, the importance of the hippocampus for this process and the potential neuroprotective effect of the plants under consideration, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of hydroalcoholic extracts (HE) of the roots of Panax ginseng, of the aerial portions of Turnera diffusa, and of the roots of Heteropterys tomentosa on the apoptosis rate of hippocampal cells in aged rats
On table 1, we observe that the percentage of death in the hippocampal regions analyzed by the TUNEL reaction
Summary
The process of aging causes a series of physiological and anatomical alterations[1] Among these changes, the gradual loss of various cognitive functions is worth mentioning, including attention, reasoning, orientation, language, and especially memory[2]. The gradual loss of various cognitive functions is worth mentioning, including attention, reasoning, orientation, language, and especially memory[2] The plants studied in this paper, Panax ginseng, Turnera diffusa (popularly known as “damiana”), and Heteropterys tomentosa (popularly known as “nó-decachorro”, in Portuguese), have widespread use that coincides with a possible nootropic or adaptogenic action. Panax ginseng was chosen since there are several studies in literature that confirm its adaptogenic action and show positive effects on memory, evaluated by means of improved performance of rats submitted to avoidance testing[15]. The plant showed a good antioxidant index over lipoperoxidation in vitro[22]
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