Mitigation of heavy metal neurotoxicity by medicinal plant extract in rats

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is a metal that has been used by humans for millennia. Its production increased significantly during the industrial revolution, causing intense release and massive accumulation of this indestructible metal in the environment. Numerous studies have elucidated the involvement of lead in neurotoxicity in humans. In our study, we aim to evaluate the potential of two plants, Ziziphus spina christi and Eucalyptus camaldulensis, as therapeutic alternatives against lead-induced toxicity, a wid espread heavy metal in Algeria and globally, which is likely to cause neurological alterations. 42 female Albino Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups of 7 rats each. The animals under went oral lead treatment at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day and/or extracts of the two plants Ziziphus spina christi and Eucalyptus camaldulensis at a dose of 1ml/kg/day by force-feeding for 21 days. The analysis of the obtained results showed that lead causes harmful effects in the organism, manifested by hyperglycemia and weight loss. Neurobehavioral tests reveal an anxiogenic effect, appetite disturbance, and deterioration of exploratory and locomotor activity, associated with the onset of cerebral oxidative stress, indicated by an increase in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities and a significant decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels. Moreover, the administration of the two plants Ziziphus spina christi and Eucalyptus camaldulensis improved all the parameters measured in this study. Our study showed that the aqueous extract of Ziziphus spina christiwas more beneficial than that of Eucalyptus camaldulensis.