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Myristica fragrans seed extract reverses scopolamine-induced cortical injury via stimulation of HO-1 expression in male rats

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Abstract

Myristica fragrans, commonly known as nutmeg, belongs to the Myristicaceae family and is used as a spice and for its medicinal properties. The purpose of this study was to assess the neuroprotective effect of M. fragrans seed methanolic extract (MFE) on scopolamine-induced oxidative damage, inflammation, and apoptosis in male rat cortical tissue. MFE or N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a standard antioxidant drug, was administered 7 days before treatment with scopolamine resulted in high levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide (oxidative stress biomarkers), tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta (inflammatory mediators), and Bax and caspase-3 pro-apoptotic proteins. Additionally, scopolamine significantly depleted levels of glutathione (an antioxidant marker), Bcl-2 and c-FLIP (anti-apoptotic proteins), and antioxidant enzymes activity in cortical tissue. Scopolamine also enhanced acetylcholinesterase activity. MFE treatment protected the cortex of rats from the effects of scopolamine by reversing the effects on these toxicity markers. Interestingly, the neuroprotective effect of MFE was comparable to that exerted by the reference antioxidant NAC. Thus, our findings show that MFE has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. The beneficial effects of MFE on scopolamine were partially mediated by promoting heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox1) expression and preserving cortical tissue structure.

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Acknowledgments

The authors extend appreciations to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding the work through the research group project number RG-198. The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research and RSSU at King Saud University for their technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Saleh Al-Quraishy, Mohamed A. Dkhil & Rewaida Abdel-Gaber

  2. Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed A. Dkhil & Ahmed E. Abdel Moneim

  3. Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

    Rewaida Abdel-Gaber

  4. Department of Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha’il, Hail, Saudi Arabia

    Rafat Zrieq

  5. Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Taghreed A. Hafez & Murad A. Mubaraki

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  1. Saleh Al-Quraishy
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  2. Mohamed A. Dkhil
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  3. Rewaida Abdel-Gaber
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Correspondence to Mohamed A. Dkhil or Ahmed E. Abdel Moneim.

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Al-Quraishy, S., Dkhil, M.A., Abdel-Gaber, R. et al. Myristica fragrans seed extract reverses scopolamine-induced cortical injury via stimulation of HO-1 expression in male rats. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 12395–12404 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-07686-8

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