Effects of Pistachio Oil on Anxiety‐Like Behavior in Ovariectomized Rats

Menopause reduces sexual hormones in female rats and is accompanied by depression and emotional disorders. Flavonoids of pistachios have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant properties.

The current study aims to investigate effects of pistachio oil on behavioral disorders of ovariectomized rats.

As many as 35 female Wistar rats (150-200g) were randomly divided into five groups (n=7 in each group). In the sham group, the animals received standard drinking water after surgery. In the OVX.C group, the ovariectomized rats received standard drinking water. The ovariectomized rats in the OVX.P group received Premarin (64.5µg/kg) for 28 days. In the h1 300 and h1 1200 groups, the ovariectomized rats received 300 and 1200mg/kg/day of pistachio oil orally for 28 days, respectively. Besides, anxiety was evaluated by the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and open field tests (OFT).

According to the results, oral administration of pistachios significantly increased the percentage of the open arm entries (OAE) test approximately three folds in the h1 300 and hi 1200 groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the percentage of the OAE test was raised in the OVX.P group compared to the OVX.C group (P < 0.05). Besides, the percentage of the open arm time was higher in the OVX.C group than in the sham group (P < 0.01). Anxietyline behaviors in the ovariectomized rats showed a smaller inner time parameter as observed in the OVX.C group compared to other groups. Besides, it was reduced significantly compared to the sham group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the velocity parameter in all treated groups compared to the sham and OVX.C groups.

The results of this study implied that pistachios had protective impacts on anxiety-like behaviors in ovariectomized rats; therefore, pistachio oil could be used as an effective remedy for alleviating anxiety in menopausal women.