Evaluation of the Effect of Aqueous Extract of Olibanum on the Expression of FMR1 and MAP1B Genes in the Rat Hippocampus

Introduction: The therapeutic properties of Olibanum have been considered in traditional medicine since ages past. Recent studies indicated the effect of Olibanum on memory enhancement and prevention/treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Fragile X mental retardation protein is the product of the FMR1 gene that mediates memory formation through the development of communications between nerve cells. MAP1B is the FMRP target mRNA and its translation is inhibited by the effect of FMRP. Disturbance in the expression of FMR1 causes fragile X syndrome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of Olibanum on the expression of FMR1 and MAP1B genes in hippocampal tissue samples of rats.   Materials & Methods: This study was conducted on 18 rats which were divided into groups of control (n=6) and two treatment groups with 75 (n=6) and 150 mg/kg (n=6) concentrations of aqueous extract of Olibanum. The hippocampus of rats was isolated after eight weeks of treatment by Olibanum extract.  Total RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized in this study. Subsequently, the expression of FMR1 and MAP1B genes was evaluated by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Ethics code:IR.TBZMED.REC.1396.1000   Findings: According to the results, the aqueous extract of Olibanum at a concentration of 75 mg/kg increased the expression of FMR1. In addition, MAP1B gene expression decreased in a dose-dependent manner following treatment with Olibanum extract. However, these changes are not statistically significant (P>0.05).   Discussion & Conclusions: The FMRP is a negative translation regulator that mediates synaptic neuronal transmission through inhibition translation of target mRNA, such as MAP1B. Olibanum probably leads to synaptic flexibility and memory improvement through increasing the expression of FMR1 in neuronal cells. This study could pave the way on the use of Olibanum in the treatment of patients with fragile X syndrome in the future.