Beenish Asrar^1,2,3, Ikram Ullah Khan¹, Judith R Homberg³ and Darakhshan Jabeen Haleem²

Nigella sativa, one of the medicinal plants, is gaining global recognition.  The plant has been proven to reduce mental illness and improve behavior. For instance, Nigella sativa reduces anxiety, improves spatial memory and increases motor activities. Ethanol is a commonly available and widely used addictive substance. Chronic ethanol consumption negatively affects cognition, exerts anxiogenic effects. Ethanol administration may induce behavioral deficits by modulating noradrenaline level. Here we hypothesized that Nigella sativa can ameliorate some of the negative health effects of ethanol consumption. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of Nigella sativa oil on spatial learning and memory (Morris water maze test), anxiety (Elevated plus maze test) and noradrenaline levels in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus by HPLC-EC of male Wistar rats drinking water or ethanol. Results showed reduced anxiety, improved memory and increased prefrontal and hippocampal noradrenalin levels in ethanolic rats that were treated with Nigella sativa oil. Nigella sativa oil treated water drinking rats showed reduced noradrenaline levels in hippocampus. In conclusion, Nigella sativa oil supplementation can be beneficial to improve memory, reduce the anxiogenic effects of chronic ethanol consumption.

To Cite This Article: Asrar B, Khan IU, Homberg JR, and Haleem DJ, 2020. Nigella sativa oil ameliorates chronic ethanol induced anxiety and impaired spatial memory by modulating noradrenaline levels. Pak Vet J, 40(3): 350-354. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2020.029