Protective Effect of 1,8-cineole on Learning and Memory Impairment Induced by Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Male Rats

Most of the phenomena observed during brain ischemia and reperfusion are associated with damage to the membrane structure. Oxidative stress results in an imbalance between high oxygen consumption and low levels of endogenous antioxidants. It is known that 1,8-cineole is a strong antioxidant. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of 1,8-cineole on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced brain injury in rats.

Wistar adult male rats weighing 250-300 g were divided into five groups of control, normal saline-treated I/R, 5-mg/kg 1,8-cineole-treated I/R, 10-mg/kg 1,8-cineole-treated I/R, and 20-mg/kg 1,8-cineole-treated I/R. The 1,8-cineole was administered through intraperitoneal injection. The cerebral hypoperfusion injury was induced in the adult male rats by occluding the bilateral common carotid arteries for 30 min, followed by 5 days of reperfusion. The data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's multiple comparison test at a p-value of < 0.05.

The results revealed that the administration of 1,8-cineole significantly increased passive avoidance memory (P<0.05).

Our findings demonstrated the beneficial effects of 1,8-cineole on behavioral impairments after I/R-induced brain injury.