Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice

Amaghnouje, Amal; Mechchate, Hamza; Es-safi, Imane; Alotaibi, Amal A.; Noman, Omar M.; Nasr, Fahd A.; Al-zharani, Mohammed; Cerruti, Pierfrancesco; Calarco, Anna; EL Fatemi, Hinde; Grafov, Andriy; Bousta, Dalila

doi:10.3390/app10238420

Open AccessArticle

Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice

by

Amal Amaghnouje

¹,

Hamza Mechchate

^1,*

,

Imane Es-safi

¹

,

Amal A. Alotaibi

²

,

Omar M. Noman

³

,

Fahd A. Nasr

³

,

Mohammed Al-zharani

⁴,

Pierfrancesco Cerruti

⁵,

Anna Calarco

⁶

,

Hinde EL Fatemi

⁷,

Andriy Grafov

⁸ and

Dalila Bousta

¹

Laboratory of Biotechnology, Environment, Agrifood, and Health, University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, FSDM BP 1796-ATLAS, 30050 Fez, Morocco

²

Basic Science Department, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia

³

Medicinal Aromatic, and Poisonous Plants Research Centre, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

⁴

Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia

⁵

Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli (NA), Italy

⁶

Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council, 05010 Porano, Italy

⁷

Departments of Pathology, University Hospital Hassan II, 30050 Fez, Morocco

⁸

Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, 00560 Helsinki, Finland

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8420; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238420

Submission received: 1 November 2020 / Revised: 23 November 2020 / Accepted: 24 November 2020 / Published: 26 November 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plant Natural Compounds)

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Abstract

Marjoram (Origanum majorana L.) infusion has been used as folk medicine against depression and anxiety. However, no studies have been carried out yet to prove those activities scientifically. In this study, the anxiolytic, antidepressant-like effects, and memory impact of the hydro-ethanolic extracts of marjoram were evaluated in mice. The hydro-ethanolic extracts (250 and 500 mg/kg) were evaluated for their central nervous effect using six different behavioral tests such as light–dark box (LDB) and open field (OF) for anxiety, forced swim test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) for depression, and object recognition test (ORT), Morris water maze (MWM) for the impact on memory. The experiments were realized on days 1, 7, 14, and 21 of treatments and compared with bromazepam for anxiety (1 mg/kg) and paroxetine for depression (11.5 mg/kg). The phytochemical screening was performed by HPLC, and the acute and sub-acute toxicities were performed following OCED guidelines (N°423 and 407) with biochemical parameters evaluation and histopathological analysis. Oral administration of marjoram hydro-ethanolic extract induced significant anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects without memory impairment, increasing the exploration and time spent in the light area in the LDB test in a similar way to that of bromazepam. In the FST and TST, the extract was as effective as paroxetine (11.5 mg/kg, p.o.) in reducing immobility. The phytochemical screening showed the presence of ferulic acid, naringin, hydroxytyrosol, geraniol, and quercetin. This study approves the traditional use of this plant and encourages further investigation on its bioactive compounds.

Keywords: anxiolytic; antidepressant; memory impact; Origanum majorana L.; OECD 423, 407; light–dark box test; Morris water maze test; object recognition test; open field test; forced swim test; tail suspension test

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MDPI and ACS Style

Amaghnouje, A.; Mechchate, H.; Es-safi, I.; Alotaibi, A.A.; Noman, O.M.; Nasr, F.A.; Al-zharani, M.; Cerruti, P.; Calarco, A.; EL Fatemi, H.; et al. Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice. Appl. Sci. 2020, 10, 8420. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238420

AMA Style

Amaghnouje A, Mechchate H, Es-safi I, Alotaibi AA, Noman OM, Nasr FA, Al-zharani M, Cerruti P, Calarco A, EL Fatemi H, et al. Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10(23):8420. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238420

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amaghnouje, Amal, Hamza Mechchate, Imane Es-safi, Amal A. Alotaibi, Omar M. Noman, Fahd A. Nasr, Mohammed Al-zharani, Pierfrancesco Cerruti, Anna Calarco, Hinde EL Fatemi, and et al. 2020. "Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice" Applied Sciences 10, no. 23: 8420. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238420

APA Style

Amaghnouje, A., Mechchate, H., Es-safi, I., Alotaibi, A. A., Noman, O. M., Nasr, F. A., Al-zharani, M., Cerruti, P., Calarco, A., EL Fatemi, H., Grafov, A., & Bousta, D. (2020). Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice. Applied Sciences, 10(23), 8420. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238420

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Anxiolytic, Antidepressant-Like Proprieties and Impact on the Memory of the Hydro-Ethanolic Extract of Origanum majorana L. on Mice

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