Propolis from a plant native to Morocco appears to improve cognitive function in male rats experiencing chronic mild stress

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

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

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

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

Propolis is a resinous material that bees produce when they collect resin from plants. As part of their study, Kherrab, Chakit, and their colleagues specifically examined the effects of propolis derived from Euphorbia resinifera, a plant found primarily in Morocco that produces a resin with some known medicinal properties.

Active components of the propolis that bees produced from this plant were extracted using a type of alcohol known as methanol. The researchers then tested the effects of this methanolic extract on male adult 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 stressors, while the rats in the second and third groups were exposed to 2 stressors per day for a period of 6 weeks.

After their six-week stress exposure, the 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 orally to the rats, 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 behavior,” the researchers wrote. “Histological analyses of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were performed. Chronic stress caused long-term memory loss and negative impact on working memory and the deterioration of social behavior in adulthood, histological analysis [showed] that UCMS caused damage in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.”

Overall, the researchers found that the propolis supplement improved the memory of stressed rats, and protected the integrity of neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. In addition, rats given the supplement after being exposed to stress were found to interact more with rats they did not know when placed in the same environment, compared to rats that did not receive the propolis extract.

This recent study suggests that propolis derived from Euphorbia resinifera may improve memory and promote greater socialization in rats and possibly humans, a hypothesis that can be further tested in future studies. Additional studies with larger samples and other animals may help validate the reported effects of this particular propolis extract.

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