Nigella sativa Oil Enhances the Spatial Working Memory Performance of Rats on a Radial Arm Maze.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med

Division of Biohealth Science, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Published: January 2014

Nigella sativa, an established historical and religion-based remedy for a wide range of health problems, is a herbal medicine known to have antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. This present study investigated the effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) administration on the spatial memory performance (SMP) of male adult rats using eight-arm radial arm maze (RAM). Twelve Sprague Dawley rats (7-9 weeks old) were force-fed daily with 6.0  μ L/100 g body weight of Nigella sativa oil (NSO group; n = 6) or 0.1 mL/100 g body weight of corn oil (control) (CO group; n = 6) for a period of 20 consecutive weeks. For each weekly evaluation of SMP, one day food-deprived rats were tested by allowing each of them 3 minutes to explore the RAM for food as their rewards. Similar to the control group, the SMP of the treated group was not hindered, as indicated by the establishment of the reference and working memory components of the spatial memory. The results demonstrated that lesser mean numbers of error were observed for the NSO-treated group in both parameters as compared to the CO-treated group. NSO could therefore enhance the learning and memory abilities of the rats; there was a significant decrease in the overall mean number of working memory error (WME) in the NSO-treated group.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3888712PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/180598DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nigella sativa
16
sativa oil
12
working memory
12
memory performance
8
radial arm
8
arm maze
8
oil nso
8
spatial memory
8
body weight
8
control group
8

Similar Publications

Agricultural growers worldwide face significant challenges in promoting plant growth. This research introduces a green strategy utilizing nanomaterials to enhance crop production. While high concentrations of nanomaterials are known to be hazardous to plants, this study demonstrates that low doses of biologically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) can serve as an effective regulatory tool to boost plant growth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Thymoquinone (TQ) is found in the seeds of Nigella sativa. It has immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, astringent, antifungal, and antihistaminic properties, making it a highly valuable compound of interest. However, the use of it as a therapeutic drug is highly challenging because of its poor solubility, low bioavailability, and short-term stability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Snakebites present a significant health risk in the Sahara, where access to modern medical facilities is limited, leading local populations to rely on traditional remedies. The medicinal plants used by indigenous communities in the Oued Righ region of the Northern Algerian Sahara are vital for treating envenomation from snakebites. This study provides an ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used by local communities in the Oued Righ region for snakebite treatment and evaluates their therapeutic potential.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Discovery of thymoquinone analogues with high anthelmintic activity against monogenean infections in goldfish (Carassius auratus).

Vet Parasitol

January 2025

College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; National Aquatic Animal Diseases Para-reference laboratory (HZAU), Wuhan 430070, China; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China; Hubei Engineering Technology Research Center for Aquatic Animal Diseases Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430070, China. Electronic address:

Monogenean parasites are harmful pathogens in aquaculture systems. Current treatment strategies for monogenean infections are unsatisfactory, making the discovery of new drugs urgent. Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural monoterpene isolated from Nigella sativa L.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Arginase plays a crucial role in the urea cycle; it also has immunosuppressive and pro-tumor effects. The present study aimed to assess the effects of arginase inhibition by thymoquinone (2-Isopropyl-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone), an active compound of Nigella sativa, on cell death in the MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast tumor cell line. Cell viability assays, Western blot analysis, and flow cytometry analysis were used to characterize oxidative stress and cell death.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!