| Background and purpose: In the past, olibanum was used as an incense and perfume and a
remedy for treating various diseases. Now, it is confirmed that olibanum improves memory and has a role
in treatment and prevention of Alzheimer disease. CaMKIIα gene is known as molecular memory because
of its role in cellular processes associated with memory. The aim of this research was to study the effect
of ethanolic extract of olibanum on the expression of CaMKIIα in B65 and PC12 cells.
Materials and methods: To determine the effect of olibanum on cell viability, MTT assay was
done and cells were treated with the extract in different concentrations and times. To study the gene
expression, the cells were treated by two concentrations of the extract at four time points. Then, RNA was
extracted, cDNA was synthesized, and the expression of CaMKIIα was quantified by qPCR.
Results: The qPCR data revealed that olibanum alternately changed the expression of CaMKIIα
in a reducing and increasing pattern over time in B65 cells. However, the extract could not induce the
expression of this gene in PC12 cells.
Conclusion: According to the role of CaMKIIα as molecular memory and the positive effect of
olibanum in memory improvement, current results could be helpful in understanding the molecular
mechanisms by which olibanum affects memory performance. |