Protective Effect of Short-term Administration of Ethanolic Saffron Extract on Improvement of Cognitive Deficits and Decrement of Lipid Peroxidation Induced by Ethidium Bromide in Experimental Models of MS

Cognitive dysfunction is recognized as a significant feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MS. Toxic demyelination by ethidium bromide (EB) is one of the common methods for induction of MS, which leads to neuronal death by production of free radicals and enhancement of oxidative stress burden. According to previous pharmacological studies, saffron extract acts as a free radical scavenger. Accordingly, in the present study the effect of short-term microinjection of saffron extract on the process of spatial memory and lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus was assessed in an experimental model of MS.

One week after MS induction by EB (0.01 %), animals of the experimental group were treated by saffron extract (5 and 10 μg/rat) for 3 consecutive days. Following the treatment period, Morris Water Maze test was carried out and hippocampi of both sides were dissected and used for measurement of a lipid peroxidation marker (MDA) in the end.

Based on the results of the present study, short-term treatment by saffron extract significantly ameliorated spatial memory in experimental models of MS (P<0.05). MDA in the saffron treated group showed a significant reduction compared to the control MS animals (P<0.01).

It seems that treatment with saffron extract is able to prevent memory and learning reduction, through inhibition of lipid peroxidation in an experimental model of MS. However, evaluation of beneficial effects of saffron on the spatial memory and its role in preventing or treating cognitive deficits in MS patients, requires much more extensive molecular studies.