Phenolic antioxidants attenuate hippocampal neuronal cell damage against XXXX induced excitotoxicity.

@entity596 @entity274 @entity75 @entity19 @entity2041 @entity2359 @entity3652 @entity4763 @entity4176 @entity2197 @entity273 @entity6738 @entity528 @entity68
Increasing evidence supports the role of excitotoxicity in @entity528 . Thus, it is extremely important to explore methods to retard or reverse excitotoxic @entity528 . In this regard, certain dietary compounds are beginning to receive increased attention, in particular those involving phytochemicals found in medicinal plants in alleviating @entity528 . In the present study, we examined whether medicinal plant extracts protect neurons against @entity75 induced by @entity4176 (KA) in female Swiss albino @entity19 . @entity19 were anesthetized with @entity3652 and @entity4763 (200 mg and 2 mg/kg body wt. respectively) and KA (0.25 microg in a volume of 0.5 microl) was administered to @entity19 by intra hippocampal injections. The results showed an impairment of the hippocampus region of brain after KA injection. The lipid peroxidation and protein @entity6738 content were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in comparison to controls. @entity2041 peroxidase (GPx) activity (EC 1.11.1.9) and @entity2041 ( @entity2197 ) content declined after appearance of @entity75 . As GPx and @entity2197 represent a major pathway in the cell for metabolizing @entity273 ( @entity274 ), their depletion would be expected to allow @entity274 to accumulate to toxic levels. Dried ethanolic plant extracts of Withania somnifera (WS), Convolvulus pleuricauas (CP) and Aloe vera (AV) dissolved in distilled water were tested for their total antioxidant activity. The diet was prepared in terms of total antioxidant activity of plant extracts. The @entity68 ( @entity596 ) reducing activity of plant extracts was also tested and it was found that WS and AV were potent reductants of @entity596 at pH 5 5. CP had lower @entity596 reducing activity in comparison to WS and AV. Plant extracts given singly and in combination 3 weeks prior to KA injections resulted in a decrease in @entity2359 . Measures of lipid peroxidation and protein @entity6738 declined. GPx activity and @entity2197 content were elevated in hippocampus supplemented with WS and combination of WS + CP + AV. However, when CP and AV were given alone, the changes in the GPx activity and @entity2197 content were not significant. Although the major factors involved in these properties of phytochemicals remain to be specified, the finding of this study has suggested that phytochemicals present in plant extracts mitigate the effects of excitotoxicity and oxidative damage in hippocampus and this might be accomplished by their antioxidative properties.
