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Background and Aim: Huntington's disease is a chronic hereditary disorder that causes cognitive and movement defects in affected individuals by progressive destruction of neurons in the cerebral cortex, striatum and the hippocampus. Studies have shown that increased activity of cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK5) plays an important role in the pathogenesis and occurrence of memory impairment in Huntington's disease. Recently, alpha-pinene has been reported to improve learning and memory performance in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's models. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alpha-pinene on passive avoidance memory and CDK5 gene expression in Huntington's animal model induced by 3-nitro-propionic acid (3-NP). Materials and Methods: In this study, 40 male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham, 3-NP (10 mg/kg),and 3 other groups receiving 3-NP (10 mg/kg) + alpha-pinene at doses of 1, 5 and 10 mg/kg (for 3 weeks,via intraperitoneal injection). Passive avoidance memory was assessed through the shuttle box device. Then, the expression level of CDK5 gene was measured by RT-qPCR method in brain cortex and hippocampus. Results: 3-NP injection caused memory impairment by decreasing step through latency (STL). Alpha-pinene at all three doses improved passive avoidance memory performance. Also, 3-NP injection caused a significant increase in CDK5 gene expression level in the brain cortex and hippocampus compared to that in the sham group. The groups which received alpha-pinene at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg in brain cortex and 1 mg/kg in hippocampus showed decreased expression level of this gene compared to the group that received 3-NP. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that alpha-pinene improves passive avoidance memory performance probably by reducing the CDK5 gene expression level in Huntington's animal model induced by 3-NP.

Background and Aim: Oxidative stress is an important factor in the development of memory and learning disorder which can cause neuronal damage in the hippocampus. Alpha-pinene is a polyphenolic compound from the terpene family that has shown important anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, antioxidant and neuroprotective effects in the central nervous system and can affect memory. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of alpha-pinene on the improvement of working and spatial memory in rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, 24 male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control and 2 alpha-pinene groups (5 and 10 mg/kg IP) for 3 weeks. Spatial and working memories were assessed by Morris water maze and Y maze, respectively. Then, malondialdehyde level and total antioxidant capacity in hippocampal tissue were measured. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. Results: The percentage of alternation in the Y maze increased in the group which had received 10 mg/kg alpha-pinene group compared to those in the control group and the group which had received 5 mg/kg alpha-pinene. The time spent in the target area at the dose of 10 mg/kg of alpha-pinene showed a significant increase compared to that in the control group, but there was no significant difference among the groups in terms of the time to reach the target platform. Alpha-pinene at the dose of 10 mg/kg decreased the level of malondialdehyde in hippocampal tissue compared to the control group, but no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of total antioxidant capacity. Conclusion: Alpha-pinene increased spatial and working memory performance in rats. One of the possible mechanisms of memory improvement in the present study could be due to the reduction of malondialdehyde in the hippocampal tissue, as one of the important indicators of oxidative stress in the central nervous system.

Background and Aim: Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease which presents with a wide range of clinical features, including cutaneous and visceral forms in Iran. Leishmania (L) major is one of the agents responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis transmitted by the bite of sand fly. In this study we assessed the antileishmania effect of pistacia Atlantica (alpha-pinene) in culture and also its therapeutic effects on Balb/c mice infected with L. Major. Material and Method: Certain amount of promastigots was challenged with increasing concentrations of pistacia atlantica extract. MTT test was used to assess promastigote survival after 24, 48 and 72 hours. For in vivo assessment, in the stationary phase, 0.1 ml solution containing 2×106 promastigotes were injected subcutaneously into the base of the tails of the mice. Four weeks after injection, cutaneous lesions appeared and different doses of the extract were applied daily in the form of an ointment for 3 weeks. Diameters of the lesions were measured at the end of each week and therapeutic effect of the extract on the lesions was assessed. Results: The results of MTT test revealed remarkable effect of the treatment on the growth of promastigots. IC50 values for glucantime and alpha pinene were found to be 10 µg/ml and 1.46 µg/ml respectively. 30 % ointment of the extract decreased the lesion diameter significantly while 15% ointment and treatment for control group were ineffective. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed antileishmanial effect of alpha-pinene on Leishmania major promastigots, in vitro. Moreover, topical ointment of the extract can reduce size of the lesions caused by the parasite, in vivo.