Abstract:
Neurotoxicity ensues as a consequence of antagonistic effects of some xenobiotics, such as environmental chemicals, on the central nervous system, particularly the brain. Cyanide, an endogenous and exogenous substance localized in several plant species as cyanogenic glycoside, is an environmental neurotoxin which has been reported to arrest the normal functioning of the central nervous system. This study investigated the protective properties of methanol and flavonoid-rich extract of the leaves of Spondias mombin Linn in potassium cyanide-induced neurotoxicity. Male Wistar rats were orally pre-treated with methanol leaf extract (SMM) (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg), flavonoid-rich extract (SMF) (25, 50 and 75 mg/kg) of Spondias mombin Linn and quercetin (20 mg/kg) respectively, followed by intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg/kg potassium cyanide. Biochemical markers of oxidative stress and electrolyte imbalance as well as neurotoxicity were measured in brain tissue homogenate of animals. Cyanide intoxication produced brain damage in rats as echoed in the deleterious alterations to activities/levels of enzymic and non-enzymic oxidative stress markers as well as biomarkers/enzymes linked with electrolyte imbalance and neurotoxicity. Pre-treatment with SMM and SMF significantly attenuated these (p<0.05) KCN-induced imbalances. By way of comparison, SMF displayed a better apparent ameliorative activity than SMM suggesting that flavonoids may probably contribute to the protective effect of Spondias mombin leaf. The results suggested that the protection afforded by SMM and SMF probably involved regulation of redox and electrolyte homeostasis as well as antioxidant and free-radical scavenging mechanisms.
