Inhaled Ginkgo biloba essential oil attenuates chronic stress behaviors in mice
Inhalation of Ginkgo biloba leaf essential oil reduced inflammatory, oxidative, and behavioral markers in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress.
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Context
Chronic stress drives neuroinflammatory, oxidative, and gut microbial disturbances, but evidence on inhaled plant volatile fractions as modulators of these pathways remains limited. The CUMS rodent model is a standard tool for modeling experimental depression and anxiety.
What the study showed
Inhaled GbO, particularly at the higher exposure level, attenuated depression- and anxiety-like behaviors without altering general locomotion. It reduced serum corticosterone, peripheral and hippocampal pro-inflammatory cytokines, and hippocampal oxidative stress markers, with decreased Iba-1 and GFAP signals. NF-κB activation was suppressed, Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidant signaling was enhanced, and BDNF/TrkB/CREB neurotrophic signaling and PSD95-associated synaptic integrity improved, alongside partial correction of the hippocampal metabolome.
How it was done
Experimental mouse study using the CUMS model; oil extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized by GC-MS (70 volatile constituents tentatively identified). Behavioral, biochemical, molecular, hippocampal metabolomic, and gut microbiota analyses were performed. Sample size is not reported in the abstract.
Risk of bias
Entirely preclinical rodent study with no human data; the abstract does not report sample size or exact protocol duration. This analysis is based solely on the available abstract without access to the full text.
What this study does NOT prove
The study does not prove efficacy, safety, or therapeutic dosing of inhaled GbO in humans with stress, anxiety, or depression.
In clinical practice
No clinical recommendation can be drawn from this study. Murine model results do not translate directly to humans.
Limitations
Entirely preclinical rodent study with no human data; the abstract does not report sample size or exact protocol duration. This analysis is based solely on the available abstract without access to the full text.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-11-08 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0