Abstract
Although plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have traditionally been used for treating various kinds of mental disorders, their Central Nervous System (CNS) acting effects have not yet been clarified well. The present study examined effects of 30 kinds of EOs on ambulatory activity, a kind of spontaneous motor activity, in ICR mice. Nineteen kinds of them did not produce any significant effects on the ambulatory activity of mice. Although effects of EOs of lavender, jasmine and neroli on the activity were statistically significant, their CNS acting properties remained unclear. EOs of peppermint, chamomile, thyme, tea tree, rosemary and basil significantly increased the ambulatory activity of mice as well as CNS stimulants, suggesting that they possess CNS stimulant-like effects. In contrast, an EO of myrtle significantly decreased the activity as well as CNS depressants, suggesting that it possesses a CNS depressant-like effect. An EO of palmarosa significantly increased the activity at a lower dose and decreased at a higher dose as well as some kinds of CNS depressants such as ethanol, suggesting that it also possesses a CNS depressant-like effect. These 8 kinds of EOs might be useful for treating some kinds of mental troubles and/or symptoms through their CNS acting effects.
Highlights
Various plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have been used in European, Arabic, and Mediterranean countries for the treatment of different illnesses
The present study examined effects of various Central Nervous System (CNS) acting drugs on the ambulatory activity in ICR strain male mice to confirm the reliability of the activity as a behavioral indicator for distinguishing CNS stimulants and CNS depressants, followed by examining effects of 30 kinds of EOs on the activity under the same experimental condition
All CNS stimulants such as BUP (F(2, 217) = 51.615, P < 0.05), CAF (F(3, 76) = 6.726, P < 0.05), MP (F(2, 317) = 96.949, P < 0.05), PHENE (F(3, 176) = 25.886, P < 0.05) and SCP (F(3, 76) = 32.525, P < 0.05) significantly increased the ambulatory activity in ICR mice (Figure 1)
Summary
Various plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have been used in European, Arabic, and Mediterranean countries for the treatment of different illnesses. In which EOs are effective for the treatment of mental illnesses, has been insisted, many scientists had doubted the efficacy of EOs because of the absence of a scientific basis for any claims [1,2]. Accumulating evidences [3], including those from our laboratory [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], indicate that some EOs produce pharmacological effects on animal behaviors similar to the effects of CNS acting drugs These animal studies are limited and are still far way from fully supporting any efficacy clams associated with use of EOs for treating mental illnesses
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