The Protective Effect of Physalis peruviana L. Against Cadmium-Induced Neurotoxicity in Rats
Abstract The present study was carried out to investigate the
protective effect of Physalis peruviana L. (family Solanaceae)
against cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Adult male
Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group 1
was used as control. Group 2 was intraperitoneally injected
with 6.5 mg/kg bwt of cadmium chloride for 5 days. Group 3
was treated with 200 mg/kg bwt of methanolic extract of
Physalis (MEPh). Group 4 was pretreated with MEPh 1 h
before cadmium for 5 days. Cadmium treatment induced
marked disturbances in neurochemical parameters as indicating
by significant (p<0.05) reduction in dopamine (DA),
serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)
in cerebellum, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex and enhanced
significantly (p<0.05) the levels of lipid peroxidation
and nitric oxide in the brain. Cadmium treatment also decreased
the amount of nonenzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants
significantly (p<0.05). Pretreatment with MEPh resulted
in significant (p<0.05) decreases in lipid peroxidation and
nitric oxide levels and restored the amount of glutathione
successfully. Although, preadministration of MEPh also
brought the activities of cellular antioxidant enzymes, namely
superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and
glutathione reductase significantly (p<0.05) to the control
levels, as well as the levels of Ca2+, Cl−
, DA, 5-HT, and
serotonin metabolite, 5-HIAA. These data indicated that
Physalis has a beneficial effect in ameliorating the cadmiuminduced
oxidative neurotoxicity in the brain of rats.
Keywords Physalis peruviana L. . Cadmium .
Neurotoxicity . Oxidative stress . Rats
