Therapeutic potential of Carum carvi in depression, memory loss, and hippocampal sclerosis reversal in temporal lobe epilepsy

Background: Epilepsy is a disease characterized by unprovoked seizures, and it affects around 70 million people worldwide. Standard treatment is ineffective in one third of all epilepsy patients. Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis (TLE-HS) is the most drug-resistant form of epilepsy, and it also impacts physical, mental, and psychological well-being of patients. Carum carvi extract has demonstrated anti-convulsant, anti-depressant, and anxiolytic properties. This study was designed to investigate if Carum carvi extract can alleviate depression and memory loss symptoms in a TLE-HS animal model. Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were used to create a model of TLE-HS and Carum carvi extract treatment, along with appropriate controls, was used to test the efficacy of this herbal extract in reducing the symptoms of depression and memory loss. Results: Forced swim test showed that Carum carvi extract treated TLE-HS rats resulted in significant improvement of the symptoms of depression. However, novel object recognition test showed that memory improvement did not occur. Conclusion: Depression significantly impacts the quality of life in TLE-HS patients, and this study has shown that Carum carvi extract should be explored further as an adjuvant treatment for TLE-HS patients to improve their quality of life.