Cytotoxic and anti-excitotoxic effects of selected plant and algal extracts using COMET and cell viability assays

Abstract

Excess glutamate in the central nervous system may be a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases with gradual loss and dysfunction of neurons. Primary or secondary metabolites from medicinal plants and algae show potential for treatment of glutamate-induced excitotoxicity. Three plant extracts were evaluated for impact on glutamate excitotoxicity-induced in primary cultures of retinal ganglion cells (RGC). These cells were treated separately in seven groups: control; Plicosepalus. curviflorus treated; Saussurea lappa treated; Cladophora glomerate treated. Cells were treated independently with 5, 10, 50, or 100 µg/ml of extracts of plant or alga material, respectively, for 2 h. Glutamate-treated cells (48 h with 5, 10, 50, or 100 µM glutamate); and P. curviflorus/glutamate; S. lappa/glutamate; C. glomerata/glutamate [pretreatment with extract for 2 h (50 and 100 µg/ml) before glutamate treatment with 100 µM for 48 h]. Comet and MTT assays were used to assess cell damage and cell viability. The number of viable cells fell significantly after glutamate exposure. Exposure to plant extracts caused no notable effect of viability. All tested plants extracts showed a protective effect against glutamate excitotoxicity-induced RGC death. Use of these extracts for neurological conditions related to excitotoxicity and oxidative stress might prove beneficial.

Evaluation of Proliferative Potential of Musa Paradisiaca Stem Juice on the Pancreatic Cells of Wistar Rats

“…The harvested pancreas was preserved for 24 hours in 10% neutralbuffered formalin, and then the tissue was fixed in 10% neutralbuffered formalin for forty minutes, and then sectioned for histological examination 11 .…”

“…Plantain has the potential to become an important part of both human and animal diets because of its high nutritional content in lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. 11 Plantain is an excellent nutritional source in diabetic patients because of its potential in maintaining blood sugar level. Additionally, plantain is a rich source of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties.…”

Suitability of Banana and Plantain Fruits in Modulating Neurodegenerative Diseases: Implicating the In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence from Neuroactive Narratives of Constituent Biomolecules

“…Anthraquinones reduce and inhibit inflammation and apoptosis respectively [ 183 , 184 ]. In addition, they have been identified in therapeutic roles targeted at glutamate-related excitatory toxicity in brain trauma [ 185 , 186 ]. Other neuroprotective mechanisms have been identified in the same regard, such as inhibition of the ERK/MMP-9 pathway and amelioration of brain edema through the combined biomechanism of ERK/MMP-9 inhibition, as well as the arrest of the activation of the NADPH oxidase subunit, gp91phox [ 110 ].…”