Abstract:
Quercetin, a pure compound, is used as a source of phytochemicals by the food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. This study seeks to determine the effect of quercetin on Nauphoeta cinera model of aluminium-induced neurotoxocity. The nymphs were divided into four groups; group I was fed with basal diet, group II was fed with basal diet and 0.1% AlCl3 (equal weight replacement), group III was fed with basal diet and 0.1% quercetin (equal weight replacement), group IV was fed with basal diet and 0.1% AlCl3 + 0.1% quercetin (equal weight replacement). After 35 days, lethality response, locomotor and behavioral assay was carried out to assess the behaviour of the animals. The insects were anesthetized on ice, the head rapidly dissected and homogenized for biochemical assays which includes reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, L-DOPA content, phenol oxidase activity, nitric oxide activity, glutathione transferase activity, reduced glutathione content, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO). The results revealed that aluminium supplemented diet induced neurobehavioural and neurochemical alterations which was ameliorated by diet supplemented with quercetin as evident by significant improvement in the behaviour and antioxidant status, decreased ROS, lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide, AChE, 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 further validates the protective properties of quercetin against neurodegeneration and proposes lobster cockroach as a viable invertebrate alternative model for the study of aluminium-induced neurotoxicity.
