title: Protective role of Cynodon dactylon in ameliorating the aluminium-induced neurotoxicity in rat brain regions.
abstract: Cynodon dactylon (Poaceae) is a creeping grass used as a traditional ayurvedic medicine in India. Aluminium-induced neurotoxicity is well known and different salts of aluminium have been reported to accelerate damage to biomolecules like lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether the aqueous extract of C. dactylon (AECD) could potentially prevent aluminium-induced neurotoxicity in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of the rat brain. Male albino rats were administered with AlCl(3) at a dose of 4.2 mg/kg/day i.p. for 4 weeks. Experimental rats were given C. dactylon extract in two different doses of 300 mg and 750 mg/keg/day orally 1 h prior to the AlCl(3) administration for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiments, antioxidant status and activities of ATPases in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rat brain were measured. Aluminium administration significantly decreased the level of GSH and the activities of SOD, GPx, GST, Na(+)/K(+) ATPase, and Mg(2+) ATPase and increased the level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in all the brain regions when compared with control rats. Pre-treatment with AECD at a dose of 750 mg/kg b.w increased the antioxidant status and activities of membrane-bound enzymes (Na(+)/K(+) ATPase and Mg(2+) ATPase) and also decreased the level of LPO significantly, when compared with aluminium-induced rats. The results of this study indicated that AECD has potential to protect the various brain regions from aluminium-induced neurotoxicity.
authors: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Dr. ALM Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Taramani Campus, Chennai, 600 113, Tamil Nadu, India. sumsthangarajan@gmail.com
authors: Thangarajan
authors: T
authors: Sumathi
authors: Chandrasekar
authors: C
authors: Shobana
authors: Balasubramanian Rathina
authors: BR
authors: Kumari
authors: Devarajulu Nisha
authors: DN
authors: Nandhini
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000535:Aluminum / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D031744:Cynodon / Q000737:chemistry*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D000535:Aluminum; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D005978:Glutathione