Abstract
Schinus terebinthifolius is a plant well recognized for its therapeutic profile such as anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities, promoting antibacterial activity and antioxidant and antidiabetic properties. This study aimed at examining whether Schinus terebinthifolius memory-enhancing activities are mediated by cholinergic and brain antioxidant systems in a scopolamine zebrafish model. Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil (10, 25, and 50 μL/L) was delivered to zebrafish by immersion in water for 8 days. Memory deficits were induced by scopolamine (100 μM) administration. Zebrafish were divided into seven groups (n = 15/group): vehicle group, scopolamine (100 μM) group, Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil groups (STF; 10, 25, and 50 μL/L), the imipramine group (IMP; 20 mg/L, as the positive control in the NTT test), and the donepezil group (DP; 10 mg/L, as the positive control in the Y-maze test). Memory status was estimated by the novel tank diving test (NTT) and the Y-maze test and finally was validated by comparison with imipramine (20 mg/L) and donepezil (10 mg/L). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to detect oil compounds. Brain levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and antioxidant enzymes were measured. After being exposed to Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil, the scopolamine zebrafish exhibited an improvement of memory processes in the NTT and Y-maze tests. The essential oil attenuated the elevated level of AChE and brain oxidative stress. Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil was found to support memory formation through the inhibition of the AChE activity and decreasing oxidative stress in the scopolamine-treated zebrafish brains.
Highlights
Human and animal behavior is regulated by the central cholinergic system [1]
Our results are following those described by other authors, demonstrating that Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil groups (STF) was found to be nontoxic in the tested doses and experimental conditions
Our results suggested that Schinus terebinthifolius essential oil possesses anxiolytic and memory supporting profile, which is in agreement with the literature where Schinus terebinthifolius administration exhibited the neuroprotective effects possibly mediated by its antioxidant activity in a rotenone rat model of Parkinson’s disease [7]
Summary
Human and animal behavior is regulated by the central cholinergic system [1]. In humans, the memory impairment induced by scopolamine reproduced some aspects of cognitive symptomatology evidenced in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [2], closely related to the degeneration of the cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain-induced reduction of neurotransmission. Many medicinal properties were reported to the essential oil of Schinus terebinthifolius, such as antioxidant, wound healing, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities [17,18,19]. Supporting evidence suggested that, in zebrafish, scopolamine exhibited memory-reducing effects without causing locomotory deficits and is often used with nootropic and memory-enhancing drugs to study memory formation [29]. Our group demonstrated that agathisflavone isolated from Schinus polygamus (Cav.) Cabrera leaves improved memory and decreased brain oxidative stress and AChE activity in the scopolamine zebrafish model [5]. E present study is considering to characterize the chemical components of the essential oil isolated from Schinus terebinthifolius fruits grown in Egypt and to evaluate the antiamnesic and antioxidant effects of the essential oil against scopolamine using in vivo tests and to elucidate the main mechanism of action
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