Pinus halepensis Essential Oil Ameliorates Aβ1-42-Induced Brain Injury by Diminishing Anxiety, Oxidative Stress, and Neuroinflammation in Rats

Abstract

The <i>Pinus</i> L. genus comprises around 250 species, being popular worldwide for their medicinal and aromatic properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the <i>P. halepensis</i> Mill. essential oil (PNO) in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) environment as an anxiolytic and antidepressant agent. The AD-like symptoms were induced in Wistar male rats by intracerebroventricular administration of amyloid beta1-42 (Aβ1-42), and PNO (1% and 3%) was delivered to Aβ1-42 pre-treated rats via inhalation route for 21 consecutive days, 30 min before behavioral assessments. The obtained results indicate PNO's potential to relieve anxious-depressive features and to restore redox imbalance in the rats exhibiting AD-like neuropsychiatric impairments. Moreover, PNO presented beneficial effects against neuroinflammation and neuroapoptosis in the Aβ1-42 rat AD model.