Propolis, a plant native to Morocco, improves cognitive function in male rats suffering from chronic mild stress

Chronic stress can have detrimental effects on the body and mind of those affected. Previous studies suggest that particularly stressful life events can also impact people’s cognitive abilities, for example by producing changes in their memory and sometimes increasing the risk of suffering from mental health disorders.

Some studies have linked stress during adolescence and puberty to higher levels of stress in adulthood, as well as memory deficits. Identifying effective strategies to alleviate stress could thus help promote the health and well-being of individuals worldwide.

Researchers at Ibn Tofail University in Morocco have explored the potential of herbal remedies to reduce mild stress and boost cognitive performance. Their most recent paper, published in Neuroscience and behavioral physiologyshows that a concentrated propolis derived from the resin of a cactus-like plant native to Morocco improved cognitive function in male rats with chronic mild stress.

“The criticality of prepuberty and adolescence may be associated with the development of diseases and brain and memory dysfunctions in adulthood,” Imane Kherrab, Miloud Chakit, and colleagues wrote in their paper. “The study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress (UCMS) during prepuberty and adolescence and propolis supplementation on cognitive functions in adult male rats.”

Propolis is a resinous substance produced by bees when they collect resin from plants. In their study, Kherrab, Chakit and their colleagues specifically investigated the effects of propolis from Euphorbia resinifera, a plant found primarily in Morocco that produces a resin with known medicinal properties.

The active components of propolis produced by bees from this plant were extracted using a type of alcohol called methanol. The researchers then tested the effects of this methanolic extract on adult male rats.

First, they divided 18 rats into 3 experimental groups: a non-stressed control group, a stressed group that did not receive the extract, and the experimental group. The 6 rats in the first group were not exposed to any stress, while the rats in the second and third groups were exposed to 2 stressors per day for a period of 6 weeks.

After six weeks of stress exposure, rats in the third group were given the methanolic extract of propolis from the plant native to Morocco. A total of 200 mg per kg of this extract was administered to the rats orally every day for a period of 2 weeks.

“Memory was assessed using an object recognition test and a Y-maze test; three-chamber sociability was used to assess social behaviors,” the researchers wrote. “Histological analyses of the hippocampal and prefrontal cortex were performed. Chronic stress induced long-term memory loss and negatively impacted working memory and impaired social behavior in adulthood; histological analysis showed that UCMS caused damage in the hippocampal and prefrontal cortex.”

Overall, the researchers found that the propolis supplement improved the memory of stressed rats, protecting the integrity of neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. Additionally, rats that received the supplement after being exposed to stress interacted more with unfamiliar rats when placed in the same environment than rats that did not receive the propolis extract.

This recent study suggests that propolis derived from Euphorbia resinifera may improve memory performance and promote greater socialization in rats and potentially humans, a hypothesis that could be further tested in future studies. Additional studies with larger sample sizes and on other animals could help validate the reported effects of this specific propolis extract.

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