Black seed oil ameliorated scopolamine-induced memory dysfunction and cortico-hippocampal neural alterations in male Wistar rats.
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Date
2016
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Bulletin of Faculty of Pharmacy,
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate cognitive enhancing effect and ameliorative effects
of black seed oil in scopolamine induced rat model of cognitive impairment. These effects were
investigated on scopolamine-induced dementia model in Morris water maze test (MWM) and Y
maze test. The hippocampal histoarchitectural responses to scopolamine and Nigella sativa oil were
also examined.
Scopolamine (1 mg/kg ip) was given to induce dementia, followed by oral administration of BSO
(1 ml/kg) for 14 consecutive days. MWM and Y-maze paradigms were used to assess hippocampal
and frontal dependent memory respectively, thereafter the rats were sacrificed and brains were
removed for histopathologic studies.
Scopolamine resulted in memory impairment, by delayed latency in the MWM, reduced percentage
alternation in the Y maze that was coupled by alterations in the cortico-hippocampal neurons. Posttreatment of rats with BSO mitigated scopolamine-induced amnesia, by reducing latency period and
increasing percentage alternation and histological changes. The observed anti-amnestic effect of
BSO m