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Crocins, the active constituents of Crocus Sativus L., counteracted ketamine–induced behavioural deficits in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

Experimental evidence indicates that the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine impairs cognition and can mimic certain aspects of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia in rodents. Crocins are among the active components of the plant Crocus sativus L. and were found to be effective in different models of psychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression.

Objectives

The present study was designed to investigate the ability of crocins to counteract schizophrenia-like behavioural deficits produced by ketamine in rats.

Methods

Crocin’s ability to counteract hypermotility, stereotypies and ataxia induced by ketamine was evaluated in a motor activity cage. The ability of crocins to reverse ketamine-induced memory deficits was assessed using the novel object recognition task (NORT). The social interaction test was used in order to examine the effects of crocins on ketamine-induced social withdrawal.

Results

Crocins (50 but not 30 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated ketamine (25 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced hypermotility, stereotypies and ataxia. In a subsequent study, post-training administration of crocins (15 and 30 mg/kg, i.p.) reversed ketamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced performance deficits in the NORT. Finally, crocins (50 but not 30 mg/kg, i.p.) counteracted the ketamine (8 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced social isolation in the social interaction test.

Conclusions

Our findings show that crocins attenuated schizophrenia-like behavioural deficits induced by the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine in rats.

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Acknowledgments

This work was co-financed by the European Union and Greek National Funds through the Research Funding Program Heracleitus II by the grant 4190.01.17 to G.G. The authors declare that the experiments comply with the current laws of Greece.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, Mezourlo, 411-10, Larissa, Greece

    Georgia Georgiadou, Vasilios Grivas & Nikolaos Pitsikas

  2. Laboratory of Chemistry, Department of Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Petros A. Tarantilis

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  1. Georgia Georgiadou
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  2. Vasilios Grivas
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  3. Petros A. Tarantilis
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  4. Nikolaos Pitsikas
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Correspondence to Nikolaos Pitsikas.

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Georgiadou, G., Grivas, V., Tarantilis, P.A. et al. Crocins, the active constituents of Crocus Sativus L., counteracted ketamine–induced behavioural deficits in rats. Psychopharmacology 231, 717–726 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3293-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3293-4

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