Primary objective: Essential oil (EO) of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff, whose main composition is Z-ligustilide, has been shown to have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and potent neuroprotective properties.
Research design: This study examined whether or not the EO could ameliorate brain damage and behavioural dysfunction in a thromboembolic model of stroke in rats and compare its effects to that of the purified Z-ligustilide.
Methods and procedures: Stroke was induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion using an autologous pre-formed clot. EO (10 mg kg(-1) and 45 mg kg(-1)) and Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)) were injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to embolization. Behavioural scores, infarct size and brain oedema, as well as the level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity were determined in the ipsilateral cortex 24 hours following stroke induction.
Main outcomes and results: EO (45 mg kg(-1)), statistically similar to Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)), curtailed brain infarction and oedema, improved behavioural scores and prevented enhanced oxidative stress and TNF-α level in the ischaemic brain tissues.
Conclusions: The findings provide the first evidence of effectiveness of the extract in a thromboembolic model of stroke, whose action can be mediated, at least in part, by the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Keywords: Kelussia odoratissima; TNF-α; Z-ligustilide; neuroprotection; oxidative stress; thromboembolic stroke.