Depression in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mood disorders can be considered among the most common and debilitating mental disorders. Major depression, as an example of mood disorders, is known to severely reduce the quality of life as well as psychosocial functioning of those affected. Its impact on the burden of disease worldwide has been enormous, with the World Health Organisation projecting depression to be the leading cause of mental illness by 2030.

Methyl Jasmonate: Behavioral and Molecular Implications in Neurological Disorders.

Methyl jasmonate (MJ) is a derivative of the jasmonate family which is found in most tropical regions of the world and present in many fruits and vegetables such as grapevines, tomato, rice, and sugarcane. MJ is a cyclopentanone phytohormone that plays a vital role in defense against stress and pathogens in plants. This has led to its isolation from plants for studies in animals.

Methyl jasmonate delays the latency to anoxic convulsions by normalizing the brain levels of oxidative stress biomarkers and serum corticosterone contents in mice with repeated anoxic stress.

Objectives: Repeated exposure to anoxic stress damages the brain through cortisol-mediated increases in oxidative stress and cellular-antioxidants depletion. Thus, compounds with antioxidant property might confer protection against anoxic stress-induced brain injuries. In this study, we further examined the protective effect of methyl jasmonate (MJ), a potent anti-stress agent against anoxic stress-induced convulsions in mice.

Possible Mechanisms Involved in Attenuation of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Memory Deficits by Methyl Jasmonate in Mice.

This present study was carried out to investigate the likely mechanisms by which methyl jasmonate (MJ), 'an agent widely used in aromatherapy for neurological disorders, attenuates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced memory deficits in mice. Mice were given intraperitoneal administration of LPS (250 µg/kg) alone or in combination with MJ (10-40 mg/kg), donepezil, DP (1 mg/kg), or vehicle for 7 successive days. Thereafter, memory was assessed using object recognition test (ORT).

Evaluation of adaptogenic-like property of methyl jasmonate in mice exposed to unpredictable chronic mild stress.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the adaptogenic-like activity of methyl jasmonate (MJ) in mice exposed to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). Male Swiss mice were treated with MJ (25-100mg/kg, i.p.