The Effect of Anxiety and Oleuropein-induced Memory Improvement in an Animal Model of Ischemia

Cerebral ischemia is a condition not reaching all or part of the brain, blood, and therefore oxygen. According to the property oleuropein antioxidant, the current study was performed aiming at using this substance to affect anxiety and improve memory in ischemic animals. In this study, 50 Wistar rats in the weight range of 200 to 250 g were randomly assigned to 5 groups including: control group; the ischemia group was divided by occlusion of both common carotid arteries and the three ischemia groups that received oleuropein at doses (10, 50, and 100 mg/kg) by gavage for 14 days. To cause ischemia, bilateral carotid arteries were isolated, blocked in two, and severed in the middle. Memory assessment was performed using the passive avoidance learning test (shuttle box) and the elevated plus maze device was used to assess anxiety. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and LSD support. Ischemia decreased memory (p <0.001). Anxiety was reduced (p <0.001) and administration of doses of 10, 50, 100 mg/kg oleuropein, especially 100 mg/kg, led to improvement in memory deficits (p <0.001) and anxiety (p <0.001). Based on the results of this study, it seems that oleuropein reduces the severity of cognitive and behavioral disorders caused by hypoperfusion ischemia due to its antioxidant properties and inhibition of free radicals.