Induction of autistic-like model

Herb and dosage (route of administration)

Period of herbal treatment

Main effects of herbal treatment*

Ref.

SC injection of VPA (400 mg/kg) to mouse pups on PND 14

Camellia sinensis at 75 and 300 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 13-40

↓ Hyperactivity and anxiety-like behavior

↑ Sensorimotor reflex

↑ Spatial memory

↓ Plasma levels of MDA

↓ Cerebellar abnormalities (structural damage of Purkinje cells)

[27]

IP injection of VPA (600 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12.5

Camellia sinensis at 300 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 15-34

↑ Cerebellar and cortical levels of GABA and taurine

↓ Cerebellar and cortical levels of glutamate

↑ Cortical levels of serine

↑ Brain levels of cholesterol, GSH, SOD, and CAT

↓ Brain levels of MAO, AChE, MDA, NO, TNF-α and IL-6

[28]

IP injection of VPA (600 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12.5

Bacopa monniera at 300 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 21-35

↓ Hyperactivity and anxiety-like behavior

↑ Sensorimotor reflex

↑ Sociability

↓ Hippocampal levels of total nitrite

↑ Hippocampal levels of GSH and CAT

↓ Cerebellar abnormalities (low number and structural damage of Purkinje cells)

[29]

IP injection of VPA (600 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12.5

Bacopa monniera at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 23-43

↑ Sociability and social preference

↓ Anxiety-like and repetitive behaviors

↑ Learning and memory

↑ Motor coordination

↑ Hippocampal and prefrontal levels of GSH, SOD, CAT and IL-10

↓ Hippocampal and prefrontal levels of MDA, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α

↓ Hippocampal and prefrontal expression of AMPA receptor

↓ Hippocampal and prefrontal abnormalities (structural damage of neuronal cells)

[30]

IP injection of VPA (500 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 13

Asparagus racemosus at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 21-35

↓ Plasma levels of nitrite

↑ Brain levels of GSH and CAT

↓ Brain levels of MAO-A and AchE

[31]

SC injection of VPA (300 mg/kg) to pregnant mice on GD 10

Korean red ginseng at 100 and 200 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 21-38

↑ Sociability and social preference

↓ Repetitive behavior and hyperactivity

↑ Spatial working memory

↓ Hypersensitivity to electric seizure

[32]

SC injection of VPA (400 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12

Korean red ginseng at 20, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day (PO)

GD 10-15

↑ Locomotor activity, sociability, and social preference

↓ Hypersensitivity to electric seizure

↓ Tail deformation (teratogenicity of VPA)

[33]

SC injection of VPA (400 mg/kg) to rat pups on PND 14

Oryza sativa at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 14-40

↑ Sensorimotor reflex

↓ Anxiety-like and social avoidance behaviors

↑ Spatial memory

↑ Cerebellar levels of CAT, SOD, and GSH

↓ Cerebellar levels of MDA

↓ Cerebellar abnormalities (low density of Purkinje cells)

[34]

SC injection of VPA (400 mg/kg) to rat pups on PND 14

Morus alba at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 14-40

↑ Sensorimotor reflex

↓ Social avoidance behavior

↑ Spatial memory

↓ Hippocampal levels of MDA

↑ Hippocampal levels of CAT and GPx

↓ Hippocampal abnormalities (low density of neuronal cells)

[35]

IP injection of VPA (600 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12.5

Prangos ferulacea (L.) at 100 and 200 mg/kg/day (IP)

PND 30-58

↓ Hippocampal levels of MDA

↑ Hippocampal levels of GSH and CAT

↓ Hippocampal abnormalities (high percentage of neuronal death)

[36]

SC injection of VPA (600 mg/kg) to pregnant rats on GD 12.5

Passiflora incarnata at 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg in drinking water (PO)

PND 35-81

↑ Sociability and social preference

↓ Anxiety-like and repetitive behaviors

↑ Recognition memory

↑ Serum levels of CAT, SOD, and TAC

↓ Serum levels of MDA

↓ Cerebral abnormalities (high number of

 damaged neurons in the PFC and hippocampal CA1 areas)

[37]

IG gavage of VPA (400 mg/kg) to mouse pups on PND 14-16

Ziziphus talanai (Blanco) Merr. at 300 and 400 mg/kg/day (PO)

PND 14-16

↑ Locomotor behavior

↓ Cerebellar abnormalities (structural damage of Purkinje cells)

[38]

SC injection of VPA (400 mg/kg) to mouse pups on PND 14

Ginkgo biloba at 100 mg/kg/day (IP)

PND 13-40

↓ Serum levels of IL-17

↓ Brain levels of MDA and IL-6

↑ Brain levels of GSH and TGF-β1

↑ Cerebellar levels of MBP and serotonin

↓ Cerebellar abnormalities (low number of Purkinje cells)

[39]

ICV infusion of PPA (4 µl of a 0.26 M solution) to male rats for 7 days (not specified)

Clitoria ternatea L. at 250 and 500 mg/kg/day (PO)

Not specified (treatment lasted for 28 days)

↑ Novel object recognition

↑ Learning and memory

↓ Brain levels of serotonin and glutamate

[40]