Protective effects of chamomile extract against harmaline induced essential tremor

Introduction: The mutations are considered for the cause of tremor and may include autosomal dominant andalso new mutations. In the present study we aimed to study the effect of chamomile extract on some behavioralsymptom induced by severe harmaline toxicity in rats. Chamomile is one of the most ancient medicinal herbsknown to mankind. It is a member of Asteraceae/Compositae family. The dried flowers of chamomile containmany terpenoids and flavonoids contributing to its medicinal properties. Chamomile preparations are commonlyused for many human ailments such as hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia,ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, and rheumatic pain. Chamomile has been used for centuries as an antiinflammatory,antioxidant, mild astringent and healing medicineMethods: All animal care and experimental procedures were in accordance with National Institutes of Healthguidelines and approved by the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Male Wistar rats (40–60), were groupand maintained on a 12h light–dark cycle at a 23 ± 2°C with access to food and water ad libitum. Experimentswere conducted during the light phase (08:00–16:00 h). Two experiments were undertaken, each of whichemployed four behavioral tasks: tremor scoring, open field test, rotarod test and grip strength test. 30 mg/ kgharmaline induced stable tremor in this population. Chamomile extracts administered 50, 100 and 300 mg/kg forthree days. The behavioral tests run after 15 min of tremor induction by harmaline 30 mg/kg according toprevious studies in fourth day. Data were collected and statistical tests applied in prism 6 software.Results: Harmaline 30 mg/kg induced a significant and persistent tremor that affected all body parts. Chamomileaqueous extract showed increased activity in open field arena than control. In hanging test significantimprovement by Chamomile extract was seen.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that administration of Chamomile can improved some aspects ofbehavioral symptoms of harmaline toxicity in rat model.

کلیدواژه ها:

Harmaline ، Chamomile extracts ، Neuroprotection