Urtica dioica leaves modulates hippocampal smoothened-glioma associated oncogene-1 pathway and cognitive dysfunction in chronically stressed mice.

Abstract The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of Urtica dioica (UD) extract against chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced associative memory dysfunction and attempted to explore the possible mechanism. Male Swiss albino mice (25–30 g) were divided into six groups, viz. group-I received 0.3% carboxymethyl cellulose and served as control (CTRL), group II was exposed to CUS (21 days) and received vehicle (CUS), group III was subjected to CUS and received Hypericum perforatum extract (350 mg/kg, p.o.) (CUS + HYP), group IV received Hypericum perforatum extract (350 mg/kg, p.o.) (CTRL + HYP); group V was subjected to CUS and received UD extract (50 mg/kg, p.o.) (CUS + UD), group VI received UD extract (50 mg/kg, p.o.) (CTRL + UD). CUS significantly induced body weight loss (p