Journal of Ethnopharmacology 137 (2011) 1360–1365 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Ethnopharmacology jo ur nal homep age : www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm Role of Ocimum basilicum L. in prevention of ischemia and reperfusion-induced cerebral damage, and motor dysfunctions in mice brain Kundan Singh Bora a , Shruti Arora b , Richa Shri b,∗ a L.R. Institute of Pharmacy, Solan, Himachal Pradesh 173223, India b Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University Patiala, 147002 Punjab, India a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 25 March 2011 Received in revised form 22 July 2011 Accepted 30 July 2011 Available online 5 August 2011 Keywords: Ocimum basilicum Ischemic stroke Cerebral damage Antioxidant effect Motor dysfunctions a b s t r a c t Ethnopharmacological relevance: The genus Ocimum (Lamiaceae) has a long history of use as culinary and medicinal herbs. Many species are used for their antioxidant and neuroprotective activity in various parts of the world. Ocimum basilicum Linn. has been used traditionally for the treatment of anxiety, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, headaches, nerve pain, as anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory, and used in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Aim of the study: The present study is designed to investigate the effect of ethyl acetate extract of Ocimum basilicum leaves on ischemia and reperfusion-induced cerebral damage, and motor dysfunctions in mice. Materials and methods: Global cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 15 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h. Cerebral infarct size was measured using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. The concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content was determined by colorimetric assay. Short-term memory was evaluated using elevated plus-maze. Inclined beam walking was employed to assess motor coordination. Bilateral carotid artery occlusion followed by reperfusion produced significant increase in cerebral infarct size and lipid peroxidation (TBARS), and reduced GSH content, and impaired short-term memory and motor coordination. Results: Pre-treatment with standardized ethyl acetate extract of Ocimum basilicum (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) markedly reduced cerebral infarct size and lipid peroxidation, restored GSH content, and attenuated impairment in short-term memory and motor coordination. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that Ocimum basilicum could be useful clinically in the prevention of stroke. © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Stroke or cerebrovascular accident is the clinical designation for loss of brain function due to interruption in the blood sup- ply to all or part of the brain (Baker et al., 1998). Risk factors of cerebral stroke include hypertension, diabetes, smoking, lipid disorders – hypercholesterolemia, alcohol intoxication and physi- cal inactivity (Sharma, 2003). The brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress injury due to its high consumption of oxygen, abundant polyunsaturated fatty acids and low levels of endoge- nous antioxidants (Margaill et al., 2005; Schreibelt et al., 2007). Levels of antioxidant enzymes fall during ischemia while free rad- ical production increases during reperfusion. Therefore, treatment ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 175 3046254/172 2586676; fax: +91 179 2252851. E-mail addresses: kundanresearch1381@gmail.com (K.S. Bora), rshri587@hotmail.com (R. Shri). with exogenous antioxidants may minimise neural damage in the event of a stroke (Gilgun-Sherki et al., 2002). Ocimum basilicum Linn. commonly known as Sweet Basil (fam- ily: Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb, native to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Mediterranean but widely cultivated in many countries (Grayer et al., 1996). This is an important medicinal plant and culinary herb (Loughrin and Kasperbauer, 2001). It has been used traditionally for treatment of anxiety, diabetes, car- diovascular diseases, headaches, nerve pain, as anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory, cough, cold, digestive disorders, fevers, headaches and migraines, insect bites, menstrual cramps, nerve pain, sinusitis, and in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders (Guenther and Althausen, 1949; Ozcan, 2002; Zeggwagh et al., 2007). Moreover, the leaves and flowering tops of the plant are per- ceived as carminative, galactogogue, stomachic and antispasmodic in folk medicine (Sajjadi, 2006). Sweet Basil is well known for its essential oil which is responsi- ble for the aroma of plant and the flavor of condiments (Martins et al., 1999). The plant also contains acylated and glycosylated 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.066