Geranium oil, a plant‐derived essential oil, exhibits neuroprotective properties as a dietary intervention in a model of Parkinson's disease

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér.) is cultivated for its essential oil (geranium oil). This research attempts to evaluate the neuroprotective capacity of geranium oil (PGEO) in a rotenone-induced rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD).

RESULTS: Rotenone (1.5 mg kg−1, s.c.) elicited a progressive loss in locomotor activity. Treatment of PD rats with PGEO (100 mg kg−1, p.o.) reduced motor impairment and restored brain levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin by 56.00%, 94.44%, and 55.55%, respectively. PGEO significantly reduced α-synuclein levels by 61.66%. It balanced oxidative status by increasing glutathione and decreasing malondialdehyde levels by 47.62% and 44.21%, respectively. PGEO decreased serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 by 59.57% and 30.23%, respectively, and increased lactate dehydrogenase as well as succinate dehydrogenase activities by 38.88% and 26.66%, respectively. PGEO treatment restored rotenone-induced histopathological changes. Fifty-seven metabolites were annotated in PGEO by Global Natural Products Social molecular networking and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, with fatty acid amides identified as a new class of compounds in the genus Pelargonium.

CONCLUSION: The neuroprotective effect of geranium oil against rotenone-induced PD is mediated, at least in part, via anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.