Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Ameliorative effects of olibanum essential oil on learning and memory in A?1-42-induced Alzheimer disease mouse model

Zhenzhen Zhang¹ , Wenhua Chen², Jie Luan¹, Dagui Chen³, Lina Liu¹, Xu Feng¹

¹Naval Medical Research Institute, Second Military Medical University, 880 Xiangyin Road, Shanghai 200433; ²School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355; ³Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.

For correspondence:- Zhenzhen Zhang Email: zz_jane@126.com Tel:+862181883318

Accepted: 16 July 2020 Published: 31 August 2020

Citation: Zhang Z, Chen W, Luan J, Chen D, Liu L, Feng X. Ameliorative effects of olibanum essential oil on learning and memory in A?1-42-induced Alzheimer disease mouse model. Trop J Pharm Res 2020; 19(8):1643-1651 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v19i8.12

© 2020 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To study the effect of olibanum essential oil (OEO) on learning and memory in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse.

Methods: Mice were administered the 42-amino acid form of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ1-42) to induce AD and then treated with OEO at 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg, p.o. for two weeks. Following treatment, the AD mice were assessed by step-down test (SDT), dark avoidance test (DAT), and Morris water maze test (MWM). Blood and brain tissues were collected for biochemical assessments. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy was used to analyze the main constituents of OEO.

Results: The main constituents of OEO were limonene, α-pinene, and 4-terpineol. Treatment with OEO prolonged t latency in SDT and DAT, but decreased error times. Escape latency decreased and crossing times were rose in the MWM following OEO treatment (p < 0.5). Treatment with OEO also enhanced the acetylcholine levels and decreased the acetylcholinesterase levels in serum and brain tissue (p < 0.5). Additionally, OEO reduced amyloid plaques in the hippocampus and protected hippocampal neurons from damage. Furthermore, OEO decreased c-fos expression in hippocampus tissues from AD mice (p < 0.5).

Conclusion: OEO has significant ameliorative effect AD-induced deterioration in learning and memory in AD mouse induced by Aβ1-42. The mechanisms of these effects are related to increased acetylcholine contents, reduction of amyloid plaques, protection of hippocampal neurons, and down-regulation of c-fos in brain tissues. The results justify the need for further investigation of candidate drugs derived from OEO for the management of AD.

Keywords: Olibanum, Essential oil, Learning, Memory, AD