The Effect of a Traditional Preparation Containing Piper nigrum L. and Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B.Fedtsch. on Immobility Stress-Induced Memory Loss in Mice.

Marzieh Rashedinia,Mohammad M Zarshenas,Ali Sahragard,Mohammad Javad Khoshnoud,Forouzan Khodaei,Mina Mojarad,Jane Hanrahan

doi:10.1155/2021/5577594

Marzieh Rashedinia, Mohammad M Zarshenas + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5577594

Copy DOI

Abstract

Objective Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, age-related, and neurodegenerative disease characterized by mental decline. The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is unclear, but cholinergic dysfunction, protein accumulation, and oxidative stress are among the most important hypotheses. The main purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extract combination of these two medicinal plants, black pepper and cumin (as a related formulation in traditional Persian medicine), on memory and learning of an immobilized stress animal model. Methods In this study, hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of cumin and black pepper fruits were prepared. Six groups of mice were treated orally for 2 weeks: control group, immobility stress, and stress-induced immobility mice received different doses of the hydroalcoholic extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) and aqueous extract (100 and 200 mg/kg). The shuttle box, novel object detection, and rotarod test were used to evaluate memory and learning. The activities of acetylcholinesterase, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in the brain tissue. Results Immobility stress significantly reduced learning and motor coordination. Furthermore, MDA levels and acetylcholinesterase activity were significantly increased, while CAT and SOD activities were significantly reduced in the brain of immobility-induced stress mice. Other findings indicated that hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts (100 and 200 mg/kg) of cumin and black pepper fruits have an improving effect on animal motor coordination and learning ability, GSH content, and CAT, SOD, and acetylcholinesterase enzyme function in comparison with stress groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion The hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of cumin and black pepper fruits have protective effects against stress-induced memory deficit and oxidative stress and may have beneficial therapeutic effect in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Highlights

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most important cause of dementia in the elderly [1, 2]
EDTA, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), Na2HPO4, NaH2PO4, K2HPO4, and KH2PO4 were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). 5,5′-Dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), thioculin, and other chemicals were of the highest grade which were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich
Treatment with hydroalcoholic (100 mg/kg) and aqueous (100 mg/kg) extract significantly improved STL and the dark compartment (TDC) compared to the immobility stress group (p < 0:01 and p < 0:05)

Summary

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most important cause of dementia in the elderly [1, 2]. The exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unclear, but cholinergic dysfunction and protein accumulation are among the most important. The protein accumulation hypothesis indicated that the accumulation of improperly folded proteins such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangle in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease cause oxidative stress and inflammatory damage, which leads to synaptic dysfunction [6]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are free radicals, derived from oxygen, which have been shown to play a role in cell damage [7, 8] They are produced naturally during mitochondrial respiration and energy production, but normally, they are neutralized by the cellular antioxidant defense systems [9,10,11,12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion