Anti-stress effects of Apium graveolens on rats subjected to immobilization

Tipmanee, V.; Sarsutham, K.; Chonpathompikunlert, P.; Wongtawatchai, T.; Sukketsiri, W

Anti-stress effects of Apium graveolens on rats subjected to immobilization

2017

Tipmanee, V. | Sarsutham, K. | Chonpathompikunlert, P. | Wongtawatchai, T. | Sukketsiri, W

Apium graveolens is a potent antioxidant and effective agent on neurological disease. However, the neuroprotective effect against stress still unclear. The present study investigates the anxiolytic effects of a methanol exact of A. graveolens in immobilization stressed rats. The five groups of rats used were control, vehicle, positive controls (diazepam 2 mg/kg) and treated groups with 125 and 250 mg/kg of A. graveolens for 21 days. On day 15, the rats were placed in the restrainer (12 h daily for 7 days). Restraint stress-induced anxiety-like behavior were assessed using the open field, hole-board and elevate plus maze test. For biochemical parameters, corticosterone, monoamine oxidase enzyme-A (MAO-A) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), percentage of inhibition of superoxide anion (O-₂) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured. Administration of A. graveolens showed a significant increase in the frequency of head dips in the hole board, line crossings and rearing in the open field, time spent in open arm in elevate plus maze, the discrimination index in object recognition and an decrease in escape latency time in the Morris water maze test compared with vehicle. Moreover, results of the biochemical parameter were represented by treated versus vehicle group. Corticosterone level (250 mg/kg) was 9.76±1.87 versus 27.75±5.90 ng/mL. In cortex and striatum, MAO-A and MDA were significantly decreased while GPx and % inhibition of O-₂ were significantly increased. These results indicated that A. graveolens has anxiolytic potential to prevent stress without cognitive deficit, whereas diazepam can cause cognitive deficit.

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