Salvia verticillata Improved Cognitive Deficits in a Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Rat Model

CCH, resulting from multiple cerebrovascular diseases, has been considered the primary cause of cognitive impairment in recent years. In this process, oxidative stress plays a critical role and damages hippocampal neurons. Research has shown that Salvia verticillata has a significant antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activity due to its polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Salvia verticillata on a rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. A total of 24 rats were subjected to Salvia verticillata or vehicle orally from one week before 2VO surgery for 14 days. Cerebral hypoperfusion was induced by the bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (2VO, n = 12 and sham, n = 12). The cognition of rats was evaluated 1 week after surgery in the MWM. In the MWM test, 2VO rats showed longer escape latency time and swimming distance and spent a shorter time in the target quadrant (p < 0.05). Moreover, we observed that Salvia verticillata treatment significantly reduced escape latency time, shortened the swimming distance, and increased target quadrant time (p > 0.05). Our results indicated that Salvia verticillata treatment significantly improved cognitive deficits in cerebral ischemic rats, probably by reducing oxidative stress damage.