Acrylamide (ACR) is a water-soluble monomer which has broad application in different industries and also can form in food during heating process. This monomer is a potent neurotoxic and damages the central and the peripheral nervous system in human and animals. Oxidative stress has been mentioned as an important pathway in ACR neurotoxicity, therefore the purpose of the current study was evaluation of possible effects of linalool which is a naturally enantiomer monoterpene compound. Linalool has shown antioxidant properties in several studies. Male Wistar rats were treated with ACR (50 mg/kg ip) alone or with linalool (12.5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg ip) for 11 days. In another 2 groups rats were treated with linalool (12.5 mg/kg ip) 3 days after and before ACR administration. Then behavior index (gait score) was examined for rats. After that, rats were sacrified and molondialdehyde (MDA) as a marker of lipid peroxidation and glutathione (GSH) content were determined in brain tissue. Exposure to ACR le...

Linalool as a neuroprotective agent against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in Wistar rats

This study sought to investigate the effects of essential oil from lemon (Citrus limoni) peels on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities in vitro. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation, dried with anhydrous Na2SO4 and characterized using gas chromatography. Antioxidant properties of the oil and inhibition of pro-oxidant-induced lipid peroxidation in rats brain homogenate were also assessed. The essential oil inhibited AChE and BChE activities in a concentration-dependent manner. GC analysis revealed the presence of sabinene, limonene, α-pinene, β-pinene, neral, geranial, 1,8-cineole, linalool, borneol, α-terpineol, terpinen-4-ol, linalyl acetate and β-caryophyllene. Furthermore, the essential oil exhibited antioxidant activities as typified by ferric reducing property, Fe(2+)-chelation and radicals [DPPH, ABTS, OH, NO] scavenging abilities. The inhibition of AChE and BChE activities, inhibition of pro-oxidant induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activities could be possible mechanisms for the use of the essential oil in the management and prevention of oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration.

Essential Oil from Lemon Peels Inhibit Key Enzymes Linked to Neurodegenerative Conditions and Pro-oxidant Induced Lipid Peroxidation

Dietary rosemary oil alleviates heat stress-induced structural and functional damage through lipid peroxidation in the testes of growing Japanese quail

Background: Ducrosia anethifolia (DA) is a medicinal plant traditionally used to treat a wide spectrum of illnesses. DA contains a series of antioxidant compounds, including alpha-pinene, which give it a sedative and relaxing effect. In spite of these effects of DA, the effects of DA essential oil on anxiety and locomotor activity in open field tests have not yet been studied. In the present study, the effects of DA essential oil and its main component of alpha-pinene on locomotor activity and anxiety were studied using open field tests. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of DA essential oil and its main component, alpha-pinene, on locomotor activity and anxiety behaviors using open field and antioxidant capacity tests in Wistar rats. Methods: Sixty-three adult male Wistar rats (weighing 200 250 g) were divided into 9 groups: control, positive control (diazepam), essential oil treated groups (25, 50, 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg administered intraperitoneally, (i.p.)) and alpha-pinene groups (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg, i.p.). For precisely 30 minutes after each injection in all groups, open field tests were used to assess behaviors such as rearing, line crossing, walling, grooming, and stretched attend posturing. In addition, oxidant and antioxidant parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA] and catalase [CAT]) were assessed in the rats’ temporal lobes. Results: DA (200 and 500 mg/kg doses) and alpha-pinene (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg doses) significantly reduced locomotor activity, whereas doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg of DA failed to show such an effect. Treatment with DA and alpha-pinene resulted in a significant decrease in MDA levels and a significant increase in CAT activity in comparison to controls. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the main component of DA (alpha-pinene) is responsible for DA’s ability to reduce locomotor activity and anxiety, which is indicative of CNS depressant activity. Moreover, it is possible that some of the motor suppression and sedation effects of the alpha-pinene in DA are due to the antioxidant capacity of this substance. However, further research and clinical evaluations are necessary to isolate and identify the other substances responsible for these activities in DA.

Alpha-Pinene as the Main Component of Ducrosia anethifolia (Boiss) Essential Oil is Responsible for its Effect on Locomotor Activity in Rats

SUMMARY This study was carried out to investigate the potential antioxidant effects of 2 monoterpenes, linalool and d-limonene, in female rats orally treated or not with dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). For this purpose, 70 female Wistar Albino rats (7-8 weeks old) were randomly divided into 10 equal groups according to the modalities of monoterpene dietary supplementation and/or oral DMBA (65 mg/kg) treatment. Negative controls were not supplemented and untreated, positive controls received only DMBA, whereas all the other groups were fed with diets enriched by 5% limonene or linalool for 150 days and received no DMBA (groups 2 and 3) or DMBA administration 15 days after (groups 5 and 6), in the same time (groups 7 and 8) or 6 days before (groups 9 and 10) the beginning of terpene supplementation. Plasma concentrations of MDA (considered as a marker of oxidative stress) were measured in all animals on days 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 150. This marker was dramatically increased by DMBA treatment alone then gradually declined. By contrast, the dietary monoterpene supplementation has induced significant decreases of spontaneous MDA formation and also has markedly inhibited DMBA-induced lipid peroxidation, the best protocol being initiation of supplementation before DMBA administration. Furthermore, linalool has appeared as a more potent antioxidant than limonene. These results evidence the protective in vivo effects of monoterpenes on an experimentally induced oxidative stress and suggest that dietary supplementation would be beneficial for the prevention of free radical damage.

K. Servı

Papers

Protective effects of d-limonene and linalool on female rats intoxicated with 7,12 dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA).