Effects of α-pinene Administration During Pregnancy on Depressive-like Behavior Following Delivery in Mice

Parturition depression is an important physiological problem, and several attempts have been made to ascertain this physiological phenomenon. Natural monoterpenes like α-pinene have numerous beneficial properties, but no studies have been done on their antidepressant potential in postpartum animals. This study aimed to determine the effects of prenatal administration of α-pinene on the antidepressant-like behavior of mice following delivery.  Pregnant female mice were randomly assigned into four groups. In the control group, the animals were injected with saline on their 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 gestation days (GD). In groups 2 to 4, pregnant female mice were injected with α-pinene (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg, respectively) at GD 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17. On day 2 postpartum, open field test (OFT), rotarod, forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST) were used to evaluate the antidepressant activity of α-pinene in mice. Also, serum samples were taken to determine the antioxidant activity. According to the results, α-pinene (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) significantly increased activity in OFT and staying on the rotarod (P≤0.05). Also, α-pinene (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) diminished immobility time (s) in TST and FST on postpartum mice (P≤0.05). α-pinene (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) decreased malondialdehyde while increased glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and total antioxidant status levels in postpartum mice as compared with the control group (P≤0.05). It seems that prenatal administration of the α-pinene can alleviate postpartum depression via its antioxidant property in mice.