EFFECT OF TURMERIC SUPPLEMENTED DIETS ON BEHAVIOURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL INDICES IN LOBSTER COCKROACH (Nauphoeta cinerea) MODEL OF ALUMINIUM TOXICITY

Abstract

Turmeric is a rhizome rich in polyphenolic compound widely distributed in plants with known functional foods and therapeutic importance. This study sought to determine the effect of dietary Turmeric supplementation on Nauphoeta cinerea model of aluminium-induced neurotoxicity. Cockroach nymphs were divided into four groups of 30 insects each. Group I was fed basal diet; group II was fed diet supplemented with 0.1% AlCl3; group III was fed diet supplemented with 0.1% AlCl3 and 0.1% Turmeric while group IV was fed diet supplemented with 0.1% Turmeric only. After 35 days, lethality response, locomotor and behavioral assay was carried out. The insects were anesthetized on ice, the head rapidly dissected and homogenized for biochemical assays which includes reactive oxygen species (ROS), TBARS, nitric oxide, reduced glutathione and Total thiol levels as well as phenol oxidase, GST, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activities. The results revealed that AlCl3 supplemented diet induced neurobehavioural and neurochemical alterations which was ameliorated by diet supplemented with Turmeric as evident by significant improvement in behaviour and antioxidant status, reduced AChE and MAO activities, increased L-DOPA and GSH content as well as increased phenoloxidase and glutathione transferase activities in the treated insects when compared to the untreated ones. The result reported for the first time the neuroprotective effect of Turmeric against AlCl3-induced neurotoxicity in Lobster cockroaches thus, proposing this invertebrate as a viable alternative model for the study of aluminium-induced neurotoxicity.