Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment
<i>Phytolacca americana</i> fruits exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate the phenolic profile of hydroethanolic extracts from both fresh (PEC) and dried (PEU) fruits of <i>...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Antioxidants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/1/97 |
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| author | Lucia-Florina Popovici Ion Brinza Florentina Gatea Georgiana Ileana Badea Emanuel Vamanu Simona Oancea Lucian Hritcu |
| author_facet | Lucia-Florina Popovici Ion Brinza Florentina Gatea Georgiana Ileana Badea Emanuel Vamanu Simona Oancea Lucian Hritcu |
| author_sort | Lucia-Florina Popovici |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Phytolacca americana</i> fruits exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate the phenolic profile of hydroethanolic extracts from both fresh (PEC) and dried (PEU) fruits of <i>P. americana</i> using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and to evaluate their impact on anxiety-like behavior, memory, oxidative stress, and cholinergic status in zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>, Tübingen strain) treated with scopolamine (SCO, 100 μM). Acute administration of PEC and PEU (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/L) was conducted for one hour per day. In silico analyses were performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the phenolic compounds discerned in the two extracts, using platforms such as SwissAdme, Molinspiration, ProToX-III, AdmetLab 3.0, PKCSM, and PASS. Anxiety-like behavior and memory performance were assessed through specific behavioral assays, including the novel tank test (NTT), light/dark test (LD), novel approach test (NAT), Y-maze, and novel object recognition (NOR). Subsequently, the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the extent of oxidative stress in the zebrafish brain were investigated. Our findings suggest that both PEC and PEU possess anxiolytic effects, alleviating SCO-induced anxiety and enhancing cognitive performance in amnesic zebrafish. Furthermore, these extracts demonstrated the ability to mitigate cholinergic deficits by inhibiting AChE activity and supporting antioxidant defense mechanisms through increased activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduced lipid and protein peroxidation. These results highlight the potential use of <i>P. americana</i> fruit extracts in managing anxiety and cognitive impairments related to dementia conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2c91844e76934c00abf4d8d56b492dd0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3921 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antioxidants |
| spelling | doaj-art-2c91844e76934c00abf4d8d56b492dd02025-01-24T13:19:28ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212025-01-011419710.3390/antiox14010097Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory ImpairmentLucia-Florina Popovici0Ion Brinza1Florentina Gatea2Georgiana Ileana Badea3Emanuel Vamanu4Simona Oancea5Lucian Hritcu6Department of Agricultural Sciences and Food Engineering, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 7–9 Ion Ratiu Street, 550024 Sibiu, RomaniaFaculty of Sciences, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 7–9 Ion Ratiu Street, 550024 Sibiu, RomaniaCentre of Bioanalysis, National Institute for Biological Sciences, 296 Spl. Independentei, 060031 Bucharest, RomaniaCentre of Bioanalysis, National Institute for Biological Sciences, 296 Spl. Independentei, 060031 Bucharest, RomaniaFaculty of Biotechnology, University of Agronomic Science and Veterinary Medicine, 59 Marasti blvd, 011464 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Agricultural Sciences and Food Engineering, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, 7–9 Ion Ratiu Street, 550024 Sibiu, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania<i>Phytolacca americana</i> fruits exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate the phenolic profile of hydroethanolic extracts from both fresh (PEC) and dried (PEU) fruits of <i>P. americana</i> using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and to evaluate their impact on anxiety-like behavior, memory, oxidative stress, and cholinergic status in zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>, Tübingen strain) treated with scopolamine (SCO, 100 μM). Acute administration of PEC and PEU (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/L) was conducted for one hour per day. In silico analyses were performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the phenolic compounds discerned in the two extracts, using platforms such as SwissAdme, Molinspiration, ProToX-III, AdmetLab 3.0, PKCSM, and PASS. Anxiety-like behavior and memory performance were assessed through specific behavioral assays, including the novel tank test (NTT), light/dark test (LD), novel approach test (NAT), Y-maze, and novel object recognition (NOR). Subsequently, the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the extent of oxidative stress in the zebrafish brain were investigated. Our findings suggest that both PEC and PEU possess anxiolytic effects, alleviating SCO-induced anxiety and enhancing cognitive performance in amnesic zebrafish. Furthermore, these extracts demonstrated the ability to mitigate cholinergic deficits by inhibiting AChE activity and supporting antioxidant defense mechanisms through increased activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduced lipid and protein peroxidation. These results highlight the potential use of <i>P. americana</i> fruit extracts in managing anxiety and cognitive impairments related to dementia conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/1/97<i>Phytolacca americana</i>dementiamemoryanxietyAlzheimer’s diseasezebrafish |
| spellingShingle | Lucia-Florina Popovici Ion Brinza Florentina Gatea Georgiana Ileana Badea Emanuel Vamanu Simona Oancea Lucian Hritcu Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment Antioxidants <i>Phytolacca americana</i> dementia memory anxiety Alzheimer’s disease zebrafish |
| title | Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment |
| title_full | Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment |
| title_fullStr | Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment |
| title_short | Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of <i>Phytolacca americana</i> Fruits in a Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment |
| title_sort | enhancement of cognitive benefits and anti anxiety effects of i phytolacca americana i fruits in a zebrafish i danio rerio i model of scopolamine induced memory impairment |
| topic | <i>Phytolacca americana</i> dementia memory anxiety Alzheimer’s disease zebrafish |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/1/97 |
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