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Ocimum sanctum attenuates oxidative damage and neurological deficits following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

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Abstract

Stroke is an enormous public health problem with an imperative need for more effective therapy. Free radicals have been reported to play a role in the expansion of ischemic brain lesions, and the effect of free radical scavengers is still under debate. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effect of Ocimum sanctum (OS) to reduce brain injury after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Male Wistar rats were subjected to MCAO for 2 h and reperfused for 22 h. The administration of OS (200 mg/kg bwt., orally) once daily for 15 days before MCAO showed marked reduction in infarct size, reduced the neurological deficits, and suppressed neuronal loss in MCAO rats. A significantly depleted activity of antioxidant enzymes and content of glutathione in MCAO group were protected significantly in MCAO group pretreated with OS. Conversely, the elevated level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in MCAO group was attenuated significantly in OS-pretreated group when compared with MCAO group. Consequently, OS pretreatment may reduce the deterioration caused by free radicals, and thus may used to prevent subsequent behavioral, biochemical and histopathological changes that transpire during cerebral ischemia. This finding reflects that supplementation of OS intuitively by reasonable and understandable treatment effectively ameliorates the cerebral ischemia-induced oxidative damage.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Departments of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi, for financial assistance. The authors wish to thank Mr. Dharamvir Singh for his assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology (Fund for the Improvement of Science and Technology Sponsored by DST and Special Assistance Programme Sponsored by UGC), Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University), Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, 110062, India

    Ajmal Ahmad, Mohd. Moshahid Khan, Syed Shadab Raza, Hayate Javed, Mohammad Ashafaq & Fakhrul Islam

  2. Neuroscience and Toxicology Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mohammed M. Safhi & Fakhrul Islam

  3. Department of Neurology, Georgia Health Science University, Augusta, GA, USA

    Ajmal Ahmad

  4. Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Mohd. Moshahid Khan

  5. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University), Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, 110062, India

    Farah Islam

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  1. Ajmal Ahmad
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  2. Mohd. Moshahid Khan
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  3. Syed Shadab Raza
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  4. Hayate Javed
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  7. Mohammed M. Safhi
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  8. Fakhrul Islam
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Correspondence to Fakhrul Islam.

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Ahmad, A., Khan, M.M., Raza, S.S. et al. Ocimum sanctum attenuates oxidative damage and neurological deficits following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. Neurol Sci 33, 1239–1247 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-0940-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-0940-1

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