ReferenceID 4271
Therapeutic effects of saffron extract on different memory types, anxiety, and hippocampal BDNF and TNF-α gene expressions in sub-chronically stressed rats
Nutr Neurosci
Objective: While stress reportedly impairs memory, saffron enhances it. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of saffron extract on different memory types, anxiety-like behavior, and expressions of BDNF and TNF
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- Reference Id
- 4271
- Evidence Id
- 20861
- Core Evidence Id
- 20861
- Source Reference Id
- 1817
- Herb2 Reference Id
- HBREF002614
- Subject Paper Key
- HERB005826_34165393
- Pubmed Id
- 34165393
- Doi
- 10.1080/1028415X.2021.1943138
- Paper Title
- Therapeutic effects of saffron extract on different memory types, anxiety, and hippocampal BDNF and TNF-α gene expressions in sub-chronically stressed rats
- Paper Abstract
- Objective: While stress reportedly impairs memory, saffron enhances it. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of saffron extract on different memory types, anxiety-like behavior, and expressions of BDNF and TNF-alpha genes in sub-chronically stressed rats.Methods: Rats were randomly assigned to control, restraint stress (6 h/day/7 days), two 7-days saffron treatments with 30 and 60 mg/kg, and two stress-saffron groups (30 and 60 mg/kg/7 post-stress days). Serum cortisol level and hippocampal BDNF and TNF-alpha gene expressions were measured. Open field, passive avoidance, novel object recognition, and object location tests were performed to assess anxiety-like behavior and avoidance as well as cognitive and spatial memories, respectively.Results: The low saffron dose in the sub-chronic stressed group led to a significant increase in passive avoidance latency from day 3 onward whereas this effect was observed after 7 days under the high-dose treatment that simultaneously led to a significant decline in serum cortisol level. While the low saffron dose led to a sharp drop in hippocampal TNF-alpha gene expression, the high dose significantly increased the hippocampal BDNF gene expression in the sub-chronic stress group. Finally, both saffron doses reduced anxiety in the stressed groups.Conclusion: Compared to the low saffron dose, the high dose had a latent but long-lasting impact. Cognitive and spatial memories remained unaffected by either stress or saffron treatment. In addition, only the high saffron dose reversed anxiety in the sub-chronically stressed group. These findings suggest that various doses of saffron act differently on different brain functions under sub-chronic stress conditions.Abbreviations: Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), novel object recognition task (NORT), novel object location task (NOLT), open field test (OFT), passive avoidance (PA).
- Journal
- Nutr Neurosci
- Publish Year
- 2022
- Experiment Subject
- rat
- Experiment Type
- Animal Experiment
- Phenotype Related
- Paper Title Cn
- Paper Title En
- Therapeutic effects of saffron extract on different memory types, anxiety, and hippocampal BDNF and TNF-α gene expressions in sub-chronically stressed rats
- Bilingual Status
- semi_complete