The effects of aqueous extract of Lavandula angustifolia flowers in glutamate-induced neurotoxicity of cerebellar granular cell culture of rat pups

Flower Power: An Overview on Chemistry and Biological Impact of Selected Essential Oils from Blossoms

Natural raw materials such as essential oils have received more and more attention in recent decades, whether in the food industry, as flavorings and preservatives, or as insecticides and insect repellents. They are, furthermore, very popular as fragrances in perfumes, cosmetics, and household products. In addition, aromatherapy is widely used to complement conventional medicine. This review summarizes investigations on the chemical composition and the most important biological impacts of essential oils and volatile compounds extracted from selected aromatic blossoms, including Lavandula angustifolia, Matricaria recutita, Rosa x damascena, Jasminum grandiflorum, Citrus x aurantium, Cananga odorata, and Michelia alba. The literature was collected from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Blossom essential oils discussed in this work are used in a wide variety of clinical issues. The application is consistently described as safe in studies and meta-analyses, although there are notes that using essential oils can also have side effects, especially dermatologically. However, it can be considered as confirmed that essential oils have positive influences on humans and can improve quality of life in patients with psychiatric disorders, critically ill patients, and patients in other exceptional situations. Although the positive effect of essential oils from blossoms has repeatedly been reported, evidence-based clinical investigations are still underrepresented, and the need for research is demanded.

Neuroprotective Potential of Aromatic Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender

Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from neurological disorders or have experienced them intermittently, which has significantly reduced their quality of life. The common treatments for neurological disorders are relatively expensive and may lead to a wide variety of side effects including sleep attacks, gastrointestinal side effects, blood pressure changes, etc. On the other hand, several herbal medications have attracted colossal popularity worldwide in the recent years due to their availability, affordable prices, and few side effects. Aromatic plants, sage (Salvia officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) have already shown anxiolytics, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. They have also shown potential in treating common neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, migraine, and cognitive disorders. This review summarizes the data on the neuroprotective potential of aromatic herbs, sage, lavender, and rosemary.

Aromatherapy in Stroke Patients: Is it Time to Begin?

Stroke is the second largest cause of death worldwide, causing disease with long-term consequences and considerable healthcare costs. The application of new nursing interventions aimed at reducing distressing behaviors and at increasing patient comfort is an important part of the care and, until now, there are no defined guidelines. Aromatherapy has been demonstrated to be efficient in several other neurological disorders for the treatment of somatic and emotional diseases and to promote patient health. In the management of stroke patients, aromatherapy is still in its infancy. The first evidence coming from animal models demonstrated a consistent and reliable neuroprotective effect in reducing cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury. In the last few years, some preliminary data being to be collected in humans revealed significant influence in reducing patients’ pain and emotional distress. In this perspective study, we sought to summarize, for the first time, the main findings emerging from this new field of study, discussing the future opportunities to be translated into primary care practice.

Protective effects of Lavandula stoechas L. methanol extract against 6-OHDA-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage and death. In European and Persian Traditional Medicine, aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of Lavandula stoechas L. have been widely used for treating neurodegenerative disorders including PD.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Herein, the protective effects of L. stoechas methanol extract were investigated on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative damage in PC12 cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The cells were pretreated with a standardized L. stoechas methanol extract (2.5-20 μg/mL) for 24 h and exposed to 6-OHDA (200 μM) thereafter. The cell viability percentage was determined by AlamarBlue test. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined by a fluorimetric method using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and cellular apoptosis was assessed by the fluorescent probe propidium iodide test. Finally, the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis pathway (Phospho SAPK/JNK, SAPK/JNK, p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2) and Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)) was measured via Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Treatment of PC12 cells with 6-OHDA could significantly increase cytotoxicity, ROS level, and cell apoptosis. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with the extract could significantly decrease 6-OHDA cytotoxicity, ROS production, (2.5 and 5 μg/mL) and cell apoptosis (5 μg/mL). Western blot analysis showed that 6-OHDA exposure could increase the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis signaling, while pretreatment with L. stoechas (5 μg/mL) reduced apoptotic proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrated that L. stoechas, which has been traditionally used in Persian Medicine for treating CNS diseases, is a valuable source of active compounds with neuroprotective, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic activity.

Alzheimer's disease treatment: The share of herbal medicines

One of the most frequent forms of dementia in neurological disorders is Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by impaired learning and memory. Pathological symptoms as extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and intracellular accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles occur in AD. Due to the aging of the population and increased prevalence of AD, discovery of new therapeutic agents with the highest effectiveness and fewer side effect seems to be necessary. Numerous synthetic medicines such as tacrine, donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, memantine, glutathione, ascorbic acid, ubiquinone, ibuprofen, and ladostigil are routinely used for reduction of the symptoms and prevention of disease progression. Nowadays, herbal medicines have attracted popular attention for numerous beneficial effects with little side effects. Lavandula angustifolia, Ginkgo biloba, Melissa officinalis, Crocus sativus, Ginseng, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Magnolia officinalis have been widely used for relief of symptoms of some neurological disorders. This paper reviews the therapeutic effects of phytomedicines with prominent effects against various factors implicated in the emergence and progression of AD.

Effect of Lavandula dentata extract on Ovalbumin-induced Asthma in Male Guinea Pigs

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs, and it causes oxidative stress. Lavandula dentata is an aromatic herb with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. This study examined the activity of L. dentata extract on a guinea pig model of asthma. Adult males were divided into five groups: First group was control, second was asthma model induced by OVA, third was treated with L. dentata extract orally (300 mg/kg) for 21 days; the fourth was an asthma model with L. dentata extract (300 mg/kg) and fifth was treated with Tween 80 for 21 days. OVA treatment increased IgE, triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose levels in serum, WBC count in blood and MDA in lungs. Also, OVA reduced SOD activity, GSH content in lungs, and GGT activity in serum (p<0.05). L. dentata extract treatment in asthma model reduced elevated IgE, triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose levels in serum, and MDA in lungs (p<0.05), while it increased GSH content in lungs (p<0.05). These results suggest the possibility that L . dentata extract can exert suppressive effects on asthma, and may provide evidence that it is a useful agent for the treatment of allergic airway disease, it also limits oxidative stress induced by OVA. L. dentata extract appears to have hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic activities.

Plants of the Genus Lavandula: From Farm to Pharmacy

The Lavandula genus, belonging to the Lamiaceae, includes 39 species, with nearly 400 registered cultivars. Lavandula are worldwide plants that occur over the Mediterranean, Europe, North Africa, southwest Asia to southeast India. Lavandula plants have been used since ancient time to flavor and preserved food, to treat diseases including wound healing, sedative, antispasmodic, microbial and viral infections. Numerous researches have described the chemical composition and the primary components of lavender oils are the monoterpenoids (linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, β-ocimene, terpinen-4-ol, and camphor), sesquiterpenoids (β-caryophyllene and nerolidol) and other terpenoid compounds (e.g., perillyl alcohol). The high concentrations of linalyl acetate make them attractive in perfumery, flavoring, cosmetics and soap industries. Currently, data on the antimicrobial activity of lavender plants have been scientifically confirmed. Indeed, lavender essential oils possess wide spectra of biological activities such as antispasmodic, carminative, analgesic, sedative, hypotensive, antiseptic, antimicrobial, antifungal, antidiuretic and general tonic action. In addition, clinical studies support their uses as treatment of health conditions. However, further clinical studies are necessary to define the magnitude of the efficacy, mechanisms of action, optimal doses, long-term safety, and, potential side effects of lavender plants.

The effects of herbal medicine on epilepsy

Traditional herbal medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of epilepsy. Though herbal medicine is widely used in antiepileptic treatment, there is a lack of robust evidence for efficacy and toxicity of most herbs. Besides, the herbal medicine should be subject to evidence-based scrutiny. In this context, we present a review to introduce the effects of herbal medicine on epilepsy. However, hundreds of herbal medicines have been investigated in the available studies. Some commonly used herbal medicines for epilepsy have been listed in our study. The overwhelming majority of these data are based on animal experiments. The lack of clinical data places constraints on the clinical recommendation of herbal medicine. Our study may conduct further studies and provide some insight on the development of anti-epileptic drugs.

Identification of Aroma Compounds of Lamiaceae Species in Turkey Using the Purge and Trap Technique

The present research was planned to characterize the aroma composition of important members of the Lamiaceae family such as Salvia officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia and Mentha asiatica. Aroma components of the S. officinalis, L. angustifolia and M. asiatica were extracted with the purge and trap technique with dichloromethane and analyzed with the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technique. A total of 23, 33 and 33 aroma compounds were detected in Salvia officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia and Mentha asiatica, respectively including, acids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, hydrocarbons and terpenes. Terpene compounds were both qualitatively and quantitatively the major chemical group among the identified aroma compounds, followed by esters. The main terpene compounds were 1,8-cineole, sabinene and linalool in Salvia officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia and Mentha asiatica, respectively. Among esters, linalyl acetate was the only and most important ester compound which was detected in all samples.

Lavandula angustifolia Extract Improves the Result of Human Umbilical Mesenchymal Wharton's Jelly Stem Cell Transplantation after Contusive Spinal Cord Injury in Wistar Rats

Introduction. The primary trauma of spinal cord injury (SCI) results in severe damage to nervous functions. At the cellular level, SCI causes astrogliosis. Human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs), isolated from Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord, can be easily obtained. Previously, we showed that the neuroprotective effects of Lavandula angustifolia can lead to improvement in a contusive SCI model in rats. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of L. angustifolia (Lav) on HUMSC transplantation after acute SCI. Materials and Methods. Sixty adult female rats were randomly divided into eight groups. Every week after SCI onset, all animals were evaluated for behavior outcomes. H&E staining was performed to examine the lesions after injury. GFAP expression was assessed for astrogliosis. Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) testing was performed to detect the recovery of neural conduction. Results. Behavioral tests showed that the HUMSC group improved in comparison with the SCI group, but HUMSC + Lav 400 was very effective, resulting in a significant increase in locomotion activity. Sensory tests and histomorphological and immunohistochemistry analyses verified the potentiation effects of Lav extract on HUMSC treatment. Conclusion. Transplantation of HUMSCs is beneficial for SCI in rats, and Lav extract can potentiate the functional and cellular recovery with HUMSC treatment in rats after SCI.

Assessment of the Neuroprotective Effects of Lavandula angustifolia Extract on the Contusive Model of Spinal Cord Injury in Wistar Rats

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) involves a primary trauma and secondary cellular processes that can lead to severe damage to the nervous system, resulting in long-term spinal deficits. At the cellular level, SCI causes astrogliosis, of which glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a major index.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Lavandula angustifolia (Lav) on the repair of spinal cord injuries in Wistar rats.

Materials and Methods: Forty-five female rats were randomly divided into six groups of seven rats each: the intact, sham, control (SCI), Lav 100, Lav 200, and Lav 400 groups. Every week after SCI onset, all animals were evaluated for behavior outcomes by the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score. H&E staining was performed to examine the lesions post-injury. GFAP expression was assessed for astrogliosis. Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) testing was performed to detect the recovery of neural conduction.

Results: BBB scores were significantly increased and delayed responses on sensory tests were significantly decreased in the Lav 200 and Lav 400 groups compared to the control group. The greatest decrease of GFAP was evident in the Lav 200 and Lav 400 groups. EMG results showed significant improvement in the hindlimbs in the Lav 200 and Lav 400 groups compared to the control group. Cavity areas significantly decreased and the number of ventral motor neurons significantly increased in the Lav 200 and Lav 400 groups.

Conclusion: Lav at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg can promote structural and functional recovery after SCI. The neuroprotective effects of L. angustifolia can lead to improvement in the contusive model of SCI in Wistar rats.

Effect of lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia) on cerebral edema and its possible mechanisms in an experimental model of stroke

Lavender belongs to the family Labiatae and has a variety of cosmetic uses as well as therapeutic purposes in herbal medicine. The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of lavender oil against brain edema and its possible mechanisms in an experimental model of stroke. Under Laser-Doppler Flowmetry, focal cerebral ischemia was induced by the transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery for 1h in rats. Lavender oil (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg ip (and/or vehicle was injected at the onset of ischemia. Infarct size, cerebral edema, functional outcome, and oxidative stress biomarkers were evaluated using standard methods. Western blotting was used to determine the protein expression of VEGF, Bax, and Bcl-2. Treatment with lavender oil at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly diminished infarct size, brain edema, and improved functional outcome after cerebral ischemia (P<0.001). Lavender oil (200 mg/kg) also reduced the content of malondialdehyde and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity (P<0.001). Although lavender oil enhanced VEGF expression (P=0.026), it could not decrease the Bax-to-Bcl-2 ratio (pro- to anti-apoptotic proteins) in the rat brain (P>0.05). The results indicated that lavender oil has neuroprotective activity against cerebral ischemia and alleviated neurological function in rats, and the mechanism may be related to augmentation in endogenous antioxidant defense, inhibiting oxidative stress, and increasing VEGF expression in the rat brain. However, lavender oil could not suppress the apoptosis pathway.

Anti-epileptogenic and antioxidant effect of Lavandula officinalis aerial part extract against pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling in male mice

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Repeated application of Lavandula officinalis (L. officinalis) has been recommended for a long time in Iranian traditional medicine for some of nervous disorders like epilepsy and dementia. However, there is no available report for the effect of chronic administration of Lavandula extract in development (acquisition) of epilepsy. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the anti-epileptogenic and antioxidant activity of repeated administration of Lavandula officinalis extract on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) kindling seizures in mice model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Lavandula officinalis was tested for its ability (i) to suppress the seizure intensity and lethal effects of PTZ in kindled mice (anti-epileptogenic effect), (ii) to attenuate the PTZ-induced oxidative injury in the brain tissue (antioxidant effect) when given as a pretreatment prior to each PTZ injection during kindling development. Valproate (Val), a major antiepileptic drug, was also tested for comparison.

RESULTS

Val and Lavandula officinalis extract showed anti-epileptogenic properties as they reduced seizure score of kindled mice and PTZ-induced mortality. In this regard, Lavandula officinalis was more effective than Val. Both Lavandula officinalis and Val suppressed brain nitric oxide (NO) level of kindled mice in comparison with the control and PTZ group. Meanwhile, Lavandula officinalis suppressed NO level more than Val and Lavandula officinalis also decreased brain MDA level relative to PTZ group.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report to demonstrate NO suppressing and anti-epileptogenic effect of chronic administration of Lavandula officinalis extract on acquisition of epilepsy in PTZ kindling mice model. In this regard, Lavandula officinalis extract was more effective than Val, possibly and in part via brain NO suppression.

Lavender and the nervous system

Lavender is traditionally alleged to have a variety of therapeutic and curative properties, ranging from inducing relaxation to treating parasitic infections, burns, insect bites, and spasm. There is growing evidence suggesting that lavender oil may be an effective medicament in treatment of several neurological disorders. Several animal and human investigations suggest anxiolytic, mood stabilizer, sedative, analgesic, and anticonvulsive and neuroprotective properties for lavender. These studies raised the possibility of revival of lavender therapeutic efficacy in neurological disorders. In this paper, a survey on current experimental and clinical state of knowledge about the effect of lavender on the nervous system is given.

Behavioral, neurochemical and neuroendocrine effects of abnormal savda munziq in the chronic stress mice

Oral administration of Abnormal Savda Munsiq (ASMq), a herbal preparation used in Traditional Uighur Medicine, was found to exert a memory-enhancing effect in the chronic stressed mice, induced by electric foot-shock. The memory improvement of the stressed mice was shown by an increase of the latency time in the step-through test and the decrease of the latency time in the Y-maze test. Treatment with ASMq was found to significantly decrease the serum levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT) and β-endorphin (β-EP) as well as the brain and serum level of norepinephrine (NE). Furthermore, ASMq was able to significantly reverse the chronic stress by decreasing the brain and serum levels of the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPAC). The results obtained from this study suggested that the memory-enhancing effect of ASMq was mediated through regulations of neurochemical and neuroendocrine systems.

Inhibition of Cell Growth and Cellular Protein, DNA and RNA Synthesis in Human Hepatoma (HepG2) Cells by Ethanol Extract of Abnormal Savda Munziq of Traditional Uighur Medicine

Abnormal Savda Munziq (ASMq) is a traditional Uighur medicinal herbal preparation, commonly used for the treatment and prevention of cancer. We tested the effects of ethanol extract of ASMq on cultured human hepatoma cells (HepG2) to explore the mechanism of its putative anticancer properties, using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium (MTT) bromide, neutral red and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage assays, testing the incorporation of (3)[H]-leucine and (3)[H]-nucleosides into protein, DNA and RNA, and quantifying the formation of malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid (MDA) adducts. ASMq ethanol extract significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 and cell viability, increased the leakage of LDH after 48 hours or 72 hours treatment, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (P < .05). Cellular protein, DNA and RNA synthesis were inhibited in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (P < .05). No significant MDA release in culture medium and no lipid peroxidation in cells were observed. The results suggest that the cytotoxic effects of ASMq ethanol extract might be related to inhibition of cancer cell growth, alteration of cell membrane integrity and inhibition of cellular protein, DNA and RNA synthesis.

The effect of hydrodistillation techniques on yield, kinetics, composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils from flowers of Lavandula officinalis L

The essential oils from flowers of Lavandula officinalis L. (L. officinalis L. = L. angustifolia Mill.) were obtained by two hydrodistillation techniques: standard (technique I) and modified (technique II) Clevenger hydrodistillation. The yield, hydrodistillation kinetics, composition and antimicrobial activity of essential oils were investigated. The higher yield of oil was obtained by hydrodistillation technique II. The new analytical hydrodistillation kinetics model of essential oil from Lavandulae flowers was defined. The essential oil composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). There are differences in chemical compositions of the oils obtained by different techniques. Antimicrobial activity of essential oil obtained by technique I and II against Salmonella enteritidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger is the same, while the activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is slightly different.

Inhibitory effect of Lavandula viridis on Fe(2+)-induced lipid peroxidation, antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase properties

In this research, the total phenolic content of a Lavandula viridis methanol extract was evaluated and the phenolic identification and quantification was assessed. Rosmarinic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucoside were the two major compounds identified by HPLC-DAD (ca. 39 and 13g/kg, respectively). This extract showed a strong antioxidant activity in ORAC (2858.39±70.97μmolTE/gextract) and TEAC (967.18±22.57μmolTE/gextract) assays, as well as Fe(2+) chelating and OH scavenging abilities. Furthermore, the extract prevented Fe(2+)-induced lipid peroxidation, by reducing MDA content in mouse brains (in vitro), and inhibited AChE and BChE activities both in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate that the methanol extract from L. viridis is a potential source of natural antioxidants and cholinesterase inhibitors.

Aromatherapy in the management of psychiatric disorders: clinical and neuropharmacological perspectives

Aromatherapy is currently used worldwide in the management of chronic pain, depression, anxiety, some cognitive disorders, insomnia and stress-related disorders. Although essential oils have been used, reputedly effectively, for centuries as a traditional medicine, there is very little verified science behind this use. The pharmacology of the essential oils and/or their single chemical constituents, therefore, remains largely undiscovered. However, accumulating evidence that inhaled or dermally applied essential oils enter the blood stream and, in relevant molecular, cellular or animal models, exert measurable psychological effects, indicates that the effects are primarily pharmacological.This review includes evidence from the limited number of clinical trials that have been published of 'psychoaromatherapy' in relation to psychiatric disorders, together with evidence from mechanistic, neuropharmacological studies of the effects of essential oils in relevant in vitro and in vivo models. It is concluded that aromatherapy provides a potentially effective treatment for a range of psychiatric disorders. In addition, taking into account the available information on safety, aromatherapy appears to be without the adverse effects of many conventional psychotropic drugs. Investment in further clinical and scientific research is clearly warranted.

Screening of plants used in Danish folk medicine to treat memory dysfunction for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

Aqueous and methanolic extracts of 11 plants, used in Danish folk medicine for improvement of memory and cognition, and 3 Corydalis species were tested for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity using the Ellman colorimetric method. Significant inhibitory activity in dose-dependent manner was observed for extracts of Corydalis cava, Corydalis intermedia, Corydalis solida ssp. laxa and Corydalis solida ssp. slivenensis. Extracts of Ruta graveolens, Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Petroselinum crispum and Mentha spicata exhibited moderate inhibition of the enzyme, defined as more than 15% at 0.1 mg/ml.

Susceptibility of hippocampus and cerebral cortex to oxidative damage in streptozotocin treated mice: prevention by extracts of Withania somnifera and Aloe vera

Diabetes mellitus is reported to impair the memory function in experimental animals. Since the mammalian hippocampus and cerebral cortex play a pivotal role in a diverse set of cognitive functions, such as novelty detection and memory, we examined the vulnerability of cortex and hippocampus regions of the brain to oxidative damage in streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic mice. We next examined the attenuating effect of extracts of Withania somnifera and Aloe vera on prevention of hippocampal and cortical cell degenerations. Doses of both plant extracts given to experimental animals were based on the evaluation of their total antioxidant activity and also their potency to reduce Fe(3+). We assayed lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonyl (PC) in both regions of the brain and observed the changes in memory and motor behavioral functions in diabetic and control mice. The results showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in LPO and PC in hippocampus and cortical regions of STZ diabetic mice. We also found a significant impairment in both motor and memory behavioral functions in diabetic mice. However, when diabetic mice were supplemented with the extracts of Withania somnifera and Aloe vera, the oxidative damage in both brain regions was reduced as marked by a significant (p < 0.05) declines in both LPO and PC. The combination of extracts of Withania somnifera and Aloe vera was more effective in reducing oxidative damage in brain regions than the supplementation of single plant extract. The combination also lowered the blood glucose level in comparison to STZ diabetic mice. Memory impairment and motor dysfunction were also improved by the plant extracts supplementation. We conclude that impairments in the hippocampus and cortex in STZ diabetic mice are associated with an increased free radical mediated oxidative damage and that the supplementation of plant extracts showed preventive effects in attenuating oxidative damage in both brain regions possibly via antioxidative mechanisms.