Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
.Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
2
Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
3
Research Center and Molecular Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran. Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
4
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
10.22074/cellj.2024.2019885.1481
Abstract
Objective: Trimethyltin (TMT) chloride is an organotin compound widely used in industry.
It has been linked to generating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), inflammatory
processes, and neuronal death. Carvacrol is a major monoterpene phenol found in the
Lamiaceae plant family, modulating inflammatory conditions and necropoptosis in neural
tissue. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of carvacrol in a rat
model of hippocampal neuronal injury induced by TMT.
Materials and Methods: Sixty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n=12):
Group 1 receiving saline, group 2 received DMSO as a vehicle for 21 days, group 3
receiving a single dose of TMT (8 mg/kg), and groups 4 and 5 receiving carvacrol 40 and
70 mg/kg daily for 21 days after a single dose of TMT. All injections were intraperitoneal
(I.P.). Caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, and Bdnf gene expressions and the number of pyknotic
neurons in the hippocampus were quantified. Spatial memory was assessed with a radial
arm maze.
Results: Carvacrol significantly attenuated cognitive dysfunction and the number of
pyknotic neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region of rats treated with TMT. Based on real-
time PCR, carvacrol modulated the expression of genes involved in apoptosis (Bax and
Caspase-3) and upregulated anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and brain derived neurotrophic factor
(Bdnf) genes in the hippocampal tissue.
Conclusion: Carvacrol protects against TMT-mediated hippocampal neuronal impairment
through its anti-apoptotic and neurotrophic effects.
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