Moringa oleifera IS PROTECTIVE AGAINST MICROARCHITECTURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH CUPRIZONEINDUCED PREFRONTAL CORTEX NEUROTOXICITY IN FEMALE WISTAR RATS
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Date
2018-05-20
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Publisher
Neuroscience Society of Nigeria (NSN)
Abstract
Cuprizone administration causes selective damage to axonal myelin sheath and has been used to
model demyelinating diseases in neuroscience research. This study aimed at determining the
protective effects of Moringa oleifera on cuprizone-induced neurotoxicity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
Sixteen adult female Wistar rats were procured and grouped into 4: Group A was given normal saline,
Group B received 0.4% cuprizone diet, Group C was administered with 1.875 mg/ml of Moringa oleifera
and Group D received a combination of 0.4% cuprizone diet and 1.875 mg/ml of Moringa oleifera. All
the groups were treated orally for 35 consecutive days after which they were sacrificed. Thereafter the
PFC was processed for histological demonstration, while tissue homogenate was used to assay the
activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Cuprizone administration caused significant reduction in body
weight and SOD activities. It also caused an alteration in the microarchitecture and Nissl profile of the
PFC. Moringa oleifera intervention led to restoration of body weight, SOD levels, Nissl profile and the
histology of the PFC. The use of preparations of Moringa oleifera, especially the leaf-component, could
offer some protective measures to individuals suffering from demyelinating conditions, especially in
addressing the associated weight changes and frontocortical dysfunction.
Description
Keywords
Cuprizone, Demyelination, Moringa oleifera, Weight, Prefrontal cortex