Ameliorative effects of olibanum essential oil on learning and memory in Aβ1-42-induced Alzheimer’s disease mouse model

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 chromatographymass 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 downregulation 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

Potential Neuroprotective Activity of Essential Oils in Memory and Learning Impairment

“…73 Thymol acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AchE), this enzyme is used for Ach hydrolysis in the human body, a decrease in AchE content could be beneficial for increasing Ach levels in the brain. 74 Thymol also inhibited butyryl-cholinesterase (BuChE) in a dose-dependent manner. 75 Dietary supplementation with thymol improved brain state by induction of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) respectively and the proportion of phospholipids in the brain of aging rat.…”

The clinical efficacy of Olibanum gum chewing in patients with Mild‐to‐Moderate Alzheimer disease: A randomized Parallel‐Design controlled trial

“…Olibanum in Iranian traditional medicine is called Kundur and is known as a remedy for various memory and learning disorders 15 . Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that boswellic acid may improve memory function in rats 16–19 . The administration of boswellic acid was reported to improve memory impairment induced by lipopolysaccharide in rats 20 .…”

“… 15 Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that boswellic acid may improve memory function in rats. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 The administration of boswellic acid was reported to improve memory impairment induced by lipopolysaccharide in rats. 20 However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no clinical trial that evaluated the effect of Olibanum on memory function.…”