EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS INFUSION FROM COTINUS COGGYGRIA LEAVES ON BEHAVIOR AND LIPID PEROXIDATION IN RATS
MIROSLAV EFTIMOV1, DANAIL PAVLOV2, MILKA NASHAR2, DIANA IVANOVA2, MARIA TZANEVA3, STEFKA VALCHEVA-KUZMANOVA1*
1.“Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov” Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria 1Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology
2.Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Medicine and Nutrigenomics
3.Department of Preclinical and Clinical Sciences
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an aqueous infusion from Cotinus coggygria leaves (AICCL) on
behaviour and on lipid peroxidation in male Wistar rats. The animals were treated orally with three concentrations (1/100,
2/100 and 4/100) AICCL at doses of 10 mL/kg b.w. Control rats received distilled water (10 mL/kg b.w.). After 30 days of
treatment, the open field test (OFT) and the forced swim test (FST) were carried out and the lipid peroxidation marker,
malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In the OFT, AICCL at all concentrations did not
significantly affect the horizontal activity and dose-dependently increased the vertical activity, the effect being significant
(p < 0.05) at the highest concentration. In the FST, AICCL shortened the immobility time and the effect was significant (p < 0.05) at
the concentration of 2/100. AICCL did not cause sedation and motor discoordination, and reduced the signs of depression.
AICCL caused a tendency to decrease MDA levels in both serum and brain homogenate, but the reduction was not
statistically significant. Thus, the favourable effects of AICCL on brain functions in this experiment cannot be attributed to
the antioxidant action.
