<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish
<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. (Apiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, diuretic, and analgesic properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of <i>F. vulgare</i> essential oil (FVEO; 25, 150...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Ion Brinza Razvan Stefan Boiangiu Elena Todirascu-Ciornea Lucian Hritcu Gabriela Dumitru |
| author_facet | Ion Brinza Razvan Stefan Boiangiu Elena Todirascu-Ciornea Lucian Hritcu Gabriela Dumitru |
| author_sort | Ion Brinza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. (Apiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, diuretic, and analgesic properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of <i>F. vulgare</i> essential oil (FVEO; 25, 150, and 300 μL/L) on the cognitive performance and brain oxidative stress in a scopolamine (SCOP; 100 μM)-induced zebrafish model of cognitive impairment. Additionally, the pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity profiles of the main FVEO constituents were predicted to be used in silico tools, including SwissADME, pkCSM, PASS online, and ADMETlab 2.0. Behavioral assays, novel tank diving test (NTT), Y-maze, and novel object recognition (NOR) test, were used to evaluate anxiety-like behavior, spatial memory, and recognition memory, respectively. Biochemical assessments of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress biomarkers were also conducted. The results demonstrated that FVEO significantly improved cognitive performance in SCOP-treated zebrafish, normalized AChE activity, and reduced oxidative stress in the brain. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of FVEO in ameliorating memory impairment and oxidative damage associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da0df38ad3ac48b089adf91b79763727 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-da0df38ad3ac48b089adf91b797637272025-08-20T03:50:16ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-07-013013285810.3390/molecules30132858<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in ZebrafishIon Brinza0Razvan Stefan Boiangiu1Elena Todirascu-Ciornea2Lucian Hritcu3Gabriela Dumitru4Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 550024 Sibiu, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. (Apiaceae) is an aromatic medicinal plant known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, carminative, diuretic, and analgesic properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of <i>F. vulgare</i> essential oil (FVEO; 25, 150, and 300 μL/L) on the cognitive performance and brain oxidative stress in a scopolamine (SCOP; 100 μM)-induced zebrafish model of cognitive impairment. Additionally, the pharmacokinetic properties and bioactivity profiles of the main FVEO constituents were predicted to be used in silico tools, including SwissADME, pkCSM, PASS online, and ADMETlab 2.0. Behavioral assays, novel tank diving test (NTT), Y-maze, and novel object recognition (NOR) test, were used to evaluate anxiety-like behavior, spatial memory, and recognition memory, respectively. Biochemical assessments of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress biomarkers were also conducted. The results demonstrated that FVEO significantly improved cognitive performance in SCOP-treated zebrafish, normalized AChE activity, and reduced oxidative stress in the brain. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of FVEO in ameliorating memory impairment and oxidative damage associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD).https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2858<i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> essential oiloxidative stressacetylcholinesterasein silico analysisAlzheimer’s diseaseneuroprotection |
| spellingShingle | Ion Brinza Razvan Stefan Boiangiu Elena Todirascu-Ciornea Lucian Hritcu Gabriela Dumitru <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish Molecules <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> essential oil oxidative stress acetylcholinesterase in silico analysis Alzheimer’s disease neuroprotection |
| title | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish |
| title_full | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish |
| title_fullStr | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish |
| title_short | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> Mill. Mitigates Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficits via Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Mechanisms in Zebrafish |
| title_sort | i foeniculum vulgare i mill mitigates scopolamine induced cognitive deficits via antioxidant and neuroprotective mechanisms in zebrafish |
| topic | <i>Foeniculum vulgare</i> essential oil oxidative stress acetylcholinesterase in silico analysis Alzheimer’s disease neuroprotection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2858 |
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