Novel effects of Rosa damascena extract on memory and neurogenesis in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

• Published in: Journal of neuroscience research Vol. 92; no. 4; pp. 517 - 530
• Main Authors: Esfandiary, Ebrahim, Karimipour, Mohammad, Mardani, Mohammad, Alaei, Hojjatallah, Ghannadian, Mustafa, Kazemi, Mohammad, Mohammadnejad, Daryoush, Hosseini, Nasrin, Esmaeili, Abolghasem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-04-2014; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Alzheimer Disease - chemically induced; Alzheimer Disease - complications; Alzheimer's disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides - toxicity; Amyloidogenic Proteins - metabolism; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; ERG1 Potassium Channel; Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Hippocampus - metabolism; Hippocampus - pathology; Hippocampus - ultrastructure; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Memory Disorders - drug therapy; Memory Disorders - etiology; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; neurogenesis; Neurogenesis - drug effects; Peptide Fragments - toxicity; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rosa - chemistry; Rosa damascena; Synapses - drug effects; Synapses - metabolism; Synapses - ultrastructure; synaptogenesis; neurogenesis; Rosa damascena; Alzheimer's disease; synaptogenesis
• ISSN: 0360-4012; 1097-4547
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23319

The number of older people who are suffering from memory impairment is increasing among populations throughout the world. Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects about 5% of people over 65 years old. The hippocampus, a brain area critical for learning and memory, is especially vulnerable to damage in the early stages of AD. Emerging evidence suggests that loss of neurons and synapses are correlated with dementia in this devastating disease. Therefore, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis in adulthood could serve as a preventive as well as a therapeutic target for AD. This study investigated the effect of Rosa damascena extract on neurogenesis and synaptogenesis in an animal model of AD. Molecular, cellular, and behavioral experiments revealed that this treatment could induce neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity and improve memory in AD. Our study suggests that R. damascena is a promising treatment for mild memory impairments and AD. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.