Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish
2025
Ion Brinza | Razvan Stefan Boiangiu | Elena Todirascu-Ciornea | Lucian Hritcu | Gabriela Dumitru
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Apiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, diuretic, and analgesic properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of F. vulgare essential oil (FVEO: 25, 150, and 300 &mu:L/L) on the cognitive performance and brain oxidative stress in a scopolamine (SCOP: 100 &mu:M)-induced zebrafish model of cognitive impairment. Additionally, the pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity profiles of the main FVEO constituents were predicted to be used in silico tools, including SwissADME, pkCSM, PASS online, and ADMETlab 2.0. Behavioral assays, novel tank diving test (NTT), Y-maze, and novel object recognition (NOR) test, were used to evaluate anxiety-like behavior, spatial memory, and recognition memory, respectively. Biochemical assessments of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress biomarkers were also conducted. The results demonstrated that FVEO significantly improved cognitive performance in SCOP-treated zebrafish, normalized AChE activity, and reduced oxidative stress in the brain. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of FVEO in ameliorating memory impairment and oxidative damage associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer&rsquo:s disease (AD).
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]