Background
Estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal period causes severe neuroendocrine changes in brain which influences memory and other nervous functions. Anthocleista schweinfurthii is used traditionally to treat female infertility and menopause related symptoms. This study was performed to investigate the potential neuroprotective effects of aqueous extract of Anthocleista schweinfurthii on brain in a postmenopause-like model of ovariectomized Wistar rats.
Methods
Thirty animals were sham-operated or ovariectomized (Ovx) 84 days after surgery, six groups of five rats each were daily treated orally during 28 days with: distilled water for groups 1 (sham-operated) and 2 (Ovx), estradiol valerate (group 3) and the three doses of extracts {groups 4, 5 and 6 (Ovx)}. Biochemical and histological evaluations focused on brain.
Results
Compared to sham-operated control, ovariectomy decreased total protein levels in brain (p<0.01) which was increased by plant extract at the dose of 300 mg/kg (p<0.05), underlying its anabolic properties. Ovariectomy significantly decreased magnesium levels in brain (p<0.001). Anthocleista schweinfurthii increased significantly magnesium levels (p<0.01), showing its capacity to act on synaptic conduction. Ovariectomy induced oxidative stress by increasing malondialdehyde levels (p<0.05) and decreasing reduced glutathione levels (p<0.05) in brain. The plant extract exhibited antioxidative activity by reducing malondialdehyde levels and increasing glutathione levels in brain. Damage in brain structure which was caused by ovariectomy disappeared following the treatment.
Conclusions
Results suggest that Anthocleista schweinfurthii may have neuroprotective effects in Ovx Wistar rats by increasing total protein, magnesium levels and reducing oxidative stress in brain.
In patients with PD, sexual disorders usually begin after the onset
AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a progressive deterioration of midbrain dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra. The incidence of PD in male is higher than that in women, but psychological symptoms are as varied as the motor symptoms in both gender. Psychological symptoms encompass a decrease in sexual desire with a long list of thymic, cognitive, behavioral, and neuropsychiatric complications. Their origin can be attributed to the natural course of the disease, side effects of treatment, or both. Clinical researches are mainly focused on the dominant motor symptoms of PD, but the nonmotor features of PD also need attention. Sexual dysfunctions (SD) are one of the most neglected nonmotor symptoms in PD. SD usually begin after the onset of motor disorders and many patients receiving DA agonists as treatment manifest uncontrollable sexual desire, playing thus a major role in the deterioration of the life's quality of patients and their partners. Research articles were retrieved from PubMed and Google using relevant keywords. Overall, this review emphasize on the sexual disorders widely reported in patients with PD and the types of natural products that are potential future supplementary agents in their control.
Natural Product serve as a major source of drugs for centuries, and about half of the pharmaceuticals in use today are derived from Natural Product. Herbal medicines have become a popular form of therapy both in the developed and developing countries. However, many of these natural products are used by population despite the fact that the scientific data on their pharmaco toxic profile are unknown. In regard to this present trend, extracts from a medicinal plant widely spread in Africa, Nymphaea lotus L were the investigated natural material. This review summarizes thus the evidence for pharmacological activities of Nymphaea lotus Linn extracts, highlighting, where investigated, its pharmacotoxic potential.
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