Protective Effect of Aromatic Plant Essential Oil Administration on Brain Tissue of PTZ-Treated and Non-Treated Mice

TL;DR

This study investigates how essential oils from Greek aromatic plants protect brain tissue in mice with epilepsy and found that Mentha piperita shows the strongest antioxidant and neuroprotective effects.

Contribution

The study introduces the neuroprotective potential of specific Greek aromatic plant essential oils in a PTZ-induced epilepsy model.

Findings

Mentha piperita showed the highest radical scavenging ability and strong antioxidant activity.

Mentha pulegium demonstrated the strongest effect in the AOP assay when administered before PTZ.

EO pretreatment showed a trend of neuronal preservation, with Mentha piperita being most effective.

Abstract

Epilepsy manifests as recurrent spontaneous seizures associated with irregular brain activity. Recognizing the limitations of conventional antiepileptic treatments, we explored the therapeutic potential of essential oils (EOs) derived from Greek aromatic plants (Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata wild, Mentha piperita, Lavandula angustifolia and Origanum Dictamnus). Specifically, we explored their radical scavenging capacity (DPPH), as well as their antioxidant (AOP and MDA levels) and neuroprotective effect in a PTZ-induced epilepsy Balb/c mice model (animals were pretreated with EOs prior to PTZ treatment). Our results indicated that Mentha piperita emerges as the most promising EO, demonstrating strong antioxidant activity and the highest radical scavenging ability (IC50 = 1.9 mg/mL). Mentha pulegium also exhibited considerable antioxidant potential, demonstrating the strongest effect in the AOP assay when administered prior to PTZ treatment. Furthermore, Origanum dictamnus exhibited the strongest potential to attenuate MDA formation in the presence of PTZ. Finally, immunohistochemistry indicated a trend of neuronal preservation in animals pretreated with EOs prior to PTZ, with Mentha piperita demonstrating the most significant effect. Based on these findings, we suggest that certain EOs possess significant antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. Further research is warranted to validate these results and elucidate the active ingredients responsible for the observed properties.

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