AUTHOR=Boualam Khadija , Bouhaddou Nezha , Sobeh Mansour , Tabyaoui Mohamed , Taghzouti Khalid 

TITLE=Mentha rotundifolia (L.) Huds. aqueous extract attenuates H2O2 induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=17

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1121029

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1121029

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Oxidative stress plays a causal role in neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of <italic>Mentha rotundifolia</italic> (L.) Huds (<italic>M. rotundifolia</italic>), a widely used Moroccan plant in traditional medicine.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The chemical composition of <italic>M. rotundifolia</italic> aqueous extract was analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS). 2,2-diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS<sup>+</sup>) assays were used to assess its <italic>in vitro</italic> antioxidant activity. H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> was utilized to induce oxidative stress and neurotoxicity <italic>in vivo</italic>. Behavioral changes were evaluated using Open Field, Y-maze and Rotarod tests. Hyperalgesia was assessed using the tail immersion test.</p></sec><sec><title>Results and discussion</title><p>The LC-MS/MS analysis revealed high content of kaempferol glucuronide (85%) at the extract. IC<sub>50</sub> values of the DPPH and ABTS were 26.47 and 41.21 μg/mL, respectively. Pre-treatments with <italic>M. rotundifolia</italic> extract attenuated the behavioral changes induced by H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. In addition, the latency of tail withdrawal increased significantly in the treated groups suggesting central analgesic effect of <italic>M. rotundifolia</italic> extract. Moreover, the extract attenuated the deleterious effects of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> and improved all liver biomarkers. The obtained results suggested that <italic>M. rotundifolia</italic> had remarkable antioxidant and neuroprotective effects and may prevent oxidative stress related disorders.</p></sec>