Carnosol demonstrates protective effects against oxidative stress-induced brain damage

Carnosol has been linked to relief from stress. A study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine looked at the ability of carnosol to protect the brain from the harmful effects of stress.

• The researchers used an animal model composed of rats. They induced stress by putting the animals inside restrainers for an hour every day for 21 days. After that, the animals were injected with a vehicle (3 percent dimethyl sulfoxide-DMSO) or carnosol for 21 days.
• After the experiment, the animals were put through behavioral tests: free swimming test (FST) and open field test (OFT). These were to determine the effects of stress on the animals’ actions.
• The rats were sacrificed and put through biochemical analysis to determine key oxidative stress markers. These included the activities of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT).
• The stressed rats demonstrated heightened mobility during the FST and a greater reluctance to cross the OFT. They also showed an increase in MDA, as well as a reduction in both GSH and antioxidant enzymes.
• Treatment with carnosol ameliorated these modifications compared to rats in the control group.

The researchers concluded that carnosol has protective effects accompanied by enhanced antioxidant defenses and a decrease in the rate of oxidative injury.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

For other ways to relieve stress, go to Remedies.news.

Journal Reference:

Samarghandian S, Azimi-Nezhad M, Borji A, Samini M, Farkhondeh T. PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF CARNOSOL AGAINST OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED BRAIN DAMAGE BY CHRONIC STRESS IN RATS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 4 May 2017;17(249). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1753-9