Geraniol protects hippocampal CA1 neurons and improves functional outcomes in global model of stroke in rats

Geraniol (GE), an acyclic monoterpene, is a chief constituent of essential oils of herbs and fruits. It possesses diverse pharmacological actions like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-parkinson. However, its neuroprotective potential in stroke is yet to be explored at large. The present study evaluated the neuroprotective potential of GE against the global model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury in rats. Bilateral common carotid artery (BCCA) occlusion for 30 min followed by 7 days of reperfusion caused varied biochemical/enzymatic alterations viz. increase in levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), xanthine oxidase (XO), and decrease in the levels of cerebroprotectives like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total thiols, and glutathione (GSH). GE-pretreatment markedly reversed these changes and restored the levels of protective enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants near to normal compared to I/R group. Besides, GE treatment showed marked improvement in anxiety-related behavior and neuronal deficits in animals subjected to I/R injury. Moreover, 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC)-stained rat brain coronal sections and histopathological studies revealed neuronal protection against I/R-injury, as evidenced by a reduction in infarct area (%) and an increase in hippocampal CA1 neuronal density in the GE-treated groups. The results of this study revealed that GE exhibited potential neuroprotective activity by reducing oxidative stress and infarction area, and protecting hippocampal CA1 neurons against I/R-injury in the global stroke model in rats.