Background and Objectives: Alphapinene as one of the most important Components of essential oils, which has antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities. Oxidative stress directly affects the function of the brain and causes memory impairment. In this research, the effect of alphapinene on passive avoidance memory and oxidative stress, was investigated in comparison with donepezil. Methods: In this study, 50 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham (received alphapinene solvent), groups received 2 and 4mg/kg alphapinene, and group that received donepezil. The drugs were administered intraperitoneally for two weeks. At the end of the treatment, passive avoidance memory in animals, was assessed using the shuttle box test, level of malondialdehyde, total thiol concentration in blood, and hippocampal tissue as oxidative stress indices. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc tests, were used to determine the difference between the groups. Results: Memory significantly increased in the group receiving donepezil (p<0. 01), and in the groups that received alphapinene (doses, 2 and 4mg/kg), memory significantly increased compared to the control group (p<0. 001). A significant increase was observed in the dose of 4mg/kg alphapinene compared to the donepezil group (p<0. 001). The concentration of malondialdehyde in the hippocampus tissue significantly decreased in the group received the dose of 4mg/kg compared to the control group. Moreover, the total amount of hippocampal thiol showed a significant increase in the group receiving alphapinene (dose, 4mg/kg) compared to the control group (p<0. 05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that alphapinene at dose of 4mg/kg had the highest effect on memory improvement even compared to the donepezil group and also decreased the oxidative stress indices due to its antioxidant property.

Background: Considering the side effects of anti-anxiety drugs, this study investigated the effect of alpha-pinene on anxiety behaviors compared with Diazepam in rats. Materials and Methods In this study, 40 male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham (received alphapinene solvent), the groups received 2 and 4 mg/kg alphapinene, and the group that received diazepam 10 mg/kg. At the end of this period, anxiety was measured using elevated plus maze and concentrations of malondialdehyde, thiol and glutathione peroxidase, in hippocampal tissue. The results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: In the groups receiving 2 and 4 mg/kg doses of alpha-pinene significantly increased the percentage of open arm entry (P<0. 001) and percentage of time spent in the open arm (P<0. 05) (P<0. 05). Compared to the control and diazepam groups, administration of alphapinene significantly decreased MDA concentration (P<0. 001) and significant increase in thiol (P<0. 01) (P<0. 05) and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity was evident (P<0. 001). Conclusion: Alpha-pinene showed a downward effect on anxiety responses in male rats, similar to anxiolytic effects of diazepam. Alpha-pinene may be potentiated by binding to the position of benzodiazepines in GABA A receptors and exerted its anti-anxiety effect with antioxidant properties.

Background and objectives: Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a plant from the Mint family and the genus Ocimum, which has many species, among which O. basilicum is the most useful economic species, and like other plants of the Mint family, it is a source of cyclic compounds and essential oil. It is also known as a rich source of phenolic compounds (especially rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid) and flavonoids. The plant's vegetative body contains essential oils. Linalool, methyl chavicol, citral, euginol, cineol, geraniol, camphor, and methyl cinnamate are important components of basil essential oil. As the most critical abiotic stress, drought stress plays a crucial role in reducing the yield of medicinal plants. It causes numerous morpho-physiological and biochemical changes in the plant. The performance of the effective substance is influenced by the plant's economic performance and environmental conditions, including drought stress. Stress effects are different at different stages of growth and development.Methodology: To investigate the effect of ascorbic acid on native O.basilicum the native population "Shahre-ray," under drought stress conditions, a factorial experiment in the form of a randomized complete block design was performed in four replications on the research farm of Horticulture Department of Mohaghegh Ardabili University in 2017. Treatments included drought stress (complete irrigation and cessation of irrigation at the beginning of reproductive growth and cessation of irrigation at 50% flowering) and ascorbic acid foliar application at four concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mM. This experiment was field operated in May 2016. Before the experiment, the bed preparation operation included plowing, disking, and leveling the ground. The plots of one meter in length and width were created. The seeds were planted in three lines with 15 cm plant spacing. 3-4 cm of rotted manure was used to cover the seeds. After determining the soil texture by the hydrometric method, the mentioned treatments were applied to stress. On the first day, irrigation was a flood, and after germination, irrigation was reduced. All traits were measured in the Physiology Laboratory after the Horticulture Science Department of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences analyzed the data with SAS software. Also, the treatment averages were compared with Duncan's multi-range test at a probability level of 5%. Results: The results showed that with increasing drought stress intensity, total plant height, stem length, number of leaves, and plant dry weight decreased by 36.08%, 39.75%, 51.26%, and 53.80% compared to the control treatment, respectively. If ascorbic acid spraying could improve these values, the highest root length was obtained under severe stress conditions (beginning of flowering) and treatment with ascorbic acid (15.83 cm), which showed an increase of about 31.91% compared to the control treatment. Drought stress conditions increased proline and essential oil components. Chlorophyll content also decreased under severe stress. Also, by applying drought stress, in all studied traits, the highest amount of ascorbic acid treatment (concentrations of 0.5 and 1 mM) increased, and higher concentrations decreased the content of studied traits. By analyzing the essential oil of plant samples, the main compounds obtained from basil essential oil included geraniol, methyl chavicol, alphapinene, caryophyllene, citral, coupon, carvacrol, neral, linalool, and limonene. In most compounds, essential oil compounds and components were enhanced by increasing drought stress and spraying. The highest amount of essential oil in the stress condition up to the 50% flowering stage and sprayed with 2 mM ascorbic acid was obtained for methyl chavicol compound (33.76%).Conclusion: Applying ascorbic acid increased basil growth under drought stress and created resistance in the plant. Therefore, due to the lack of water resources and the great need of plants for water, it is possible to create resistance to stress in plants by spraying non-toxic and essential elements on them.