Effect of Borage Seed Oil Against Lead Acetate Neurotoxicity in Rats

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that has long been widely used in industry, agriculture, and the cosmetics sector. It also poses serious public health risks due to its tendency to accumulate in the body and to induce pronounced neurotoxicity, particularly by damaging the central nervous system via oxidative stress–mediated mechanisms. In the present study, the biochemical effects of lead acetate-induced neurotoxicity and the potential protective role of borage seed oil (Borago oil, BSO), known for its high medicinal and nutritional value, were evaluated in the brain tissue of rats by assessing oxidative stress parameters. A total of 30 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. Neurotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal administration of lead acetate at a dose of 20 mg/kg for 7 consecutive days. Borage oil was administered orally at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for 14 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the rat brain tissue were measured using manual biochemical method, while the expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined by RT-PCR. Collectively, these findings indicate that borage seed oil partially alleviated Pb- associated oxidative stress alterationsin brain tissue, as evidenced by reduced lipid peroxidation (decreased MDA; p<0.001) and upregulated mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GPx) compared with the Pb group (overall ANOVA p<0.001; Tukey’s post hoc test). Moreover, the 100 mg/kg dose tended to produce greater improvements in oxidative stress–related parameters than the 50 mg/kg dose.

Keywords

• Lead acetate
• Neurotoxicity
• Oxidative stress
• Rat

Sıçanlarda Kurşun Asetat Nörotoksisitesine Karşı Hodan Tohum Yağının Etkisi

Abstract

Kurşun (Pb), uzun süredir endüstri, tarım ve kozmetik sektörlerinde yaygın olarak kullanılan oldukça toksik bir ağır metaldir. Ayrıca vücutta birikme ve özellikle oksidatif stres aracılığıyla merkezi sinir sistemine zarar vererek belirgin nörotoksisiteye yol açma eğilimiyle ciddi halk sağlığı riskleri oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, yüksek tıbbi ve besinsel değeri ile bilinen hodan tohum yağının (Hodan yağı, BSO) potansiyel koruyucu rolü ve kurşun asetat kaynaklı nörotoksisitenin biyokimyasal etkileri, sıçanların beyin dokusunda oksidatif stres parametrelerinin değerlendirilmesi yoluyla araştırılmıştır. Toplam 30 Sprague Dawley sıçanı rastgele beş gruba ayrılmıştır. Nörotoksisite, 7 gün boyunca 20 mg/kg dozunda intraperitoneal kurşun asetat uygulamasıyla oluşturulmuştur. Hodan yağı 14 gün boyunca 50 ve 100 mg/kg dozlarında oral yoldan uygulanmıştır. Sıçan beyin dokusunda malondialdehit (MDA) düzeyleri manuel biyokimyasal metod kullanılarak ölçülürken, süperoksit dismutaz (SOD), katalaz (CAT) ve glutatyon peroksidaz (GPx) ekspresyon düzeyleri RT-PCR ile belirlenmiştir. Toplu olarak, bu bulgular, hodan tohumu yağının, kurşunla ilişkili oksidatif stres değişikliklerini beyin dokusunda kısmen hafiflettiğini göstermektedir; bu durum, kurşun grubuna kıyasla lipid peroksidasyonunda azalma (MDA'da azalma; p<0.001) ve antioksidan enzimlerin (SOD, CAT ve GPx) mRNA ekspresyonunda artış (genel ANOVA p<0.001; Tukey'in post hoc testi) ile kanıtlanmıştır. Dahası, 100 mg/kg dozu, 50 mg/kg dozuna kıyasla oksidatif stresle ilgili parametrelerde daha büyük iyileşmeler sağlama eğilimindeydi.

Keywords

• Kurşun asetat
• Nörotoksisite
• Oksidatif stres
• Sıçan

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