Avaliação do óleo essencial de pau-rosa (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) em modelo de depressão induzida por álcool em ratas adolescentes

Abstract

Depression is a prevalent disorder worldwide, which affects the functionality and quality of life of the people. The linalool-rich rosewood essential oil (Aniba rosaeodora Ducke) displays activities on the central nervous system (CNS), including of antidepressant-type. The work aimed to evaluate the effect of the essential oil in adolescent female rats through a model of binge drinking-induced depression. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by a dual system of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (CG-FID). The in vitro antioxidant capacity of the essential oil was determined in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) radical scavenging assay. Female Wistar rats, 29 days old, received distilled water or ethanol (3 g/kg/day) orally in 4 binge episodes, and saline solution or rosewood oil (35 mg/kg) intranasally once a day for 28 days. After the experimental treatment, splash and forced swimming tests were performed. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and S100B gene expression, biological parameters of the oxidative stress and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. The OEPR+EtOH group increased self-cleaning time and decreased immobility time, both significantly compared to the EtOH group in the splash and forced swimming tests, respectively. The essential oil behavioral effects were related to positive modulation of BDNF and S100B genes, to restoration of glutathione (GSH) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) levels, in addition to the attenuation of the increase of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) induced by alcohol. The results suggest that essential oil improved the alcohol-induced depressive profile through a neuroprotective mechanism by positively modulating the gene expression of neurotrophic factors, rebalancing the antioxidant status and attenuating the inflammatory process, possibly due to the linalool action.