Inhibition of Cyclophosphamide-Induced Oxidative Stress in Brain by Dietary Inclusion of Red Dye Extracts from Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Stem

Abstract

The stem of sorghum is used as color additives in cooking meals and taken as beverages when steeped or boiled in water as folklore for the management of anemia and some other diseases. This study sought to assess the antioxidant and neuroprotective potentials of red dye extract from sorghum stem on cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress in rat brain. Wistar strain albino rats were fed diet supplemented with the red dye (0.5% and 1.0% inclusion) for 14 days. There was no significant difference (P > .05) in average feed intake and weight gain of rats fed the basal diet and the red dye-supplemented diet. However, intraperitoneal administration of cyclophosphamide (75 mg/kg of body weight) 24 hours prior the termination of the experiment caused a significant (P < .05) increase in the brain malondialdehyde (MDA) content and serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in those rats fed diet without the dye supplement, whereas there was a significant decrease (P < .05) in brain MDA content and serum enzyme activities in rats fed diet with the dye in a concentration-dependent manner. The protective effect of the red dye against cyclophosphamide-induced oxidative stress could be attributed to the high phenolic content (56.2%) and antioxidant activities of the red dye as typified by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging ability, reducing properties, and Fe(2+) chelating ability. Therefore, dietary inclusion of the red dye from sorghum stem could be harnessed in the management of neurodegenerative diseases associated with oxidative stress.

Dietary inclusion of sorghum (Sorghum bicolour) straw dye protects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats

“…The observed average feed intake and average weight gain/loss of the rats in each group during the 23 d experiment (Tables 2 and 3) suggest that the inclusion of sorghum straw dye in rat diets, neither affected appetite nor causes loss of body weight. This finding is consistent with an earlier study, where dietary inclusion of red sorghum straw dye caused no significant difference in the daily feed intake and weight gain of rats (Oboh et al, 2010). However, the weight loss observed 3 d after cisplatin administration (Table 3) is consistent with an earlier study which suggests cisplatin administration may lead to significant loss of body weight (Ö zdemir et al, 2002).…”

“…Groups I and II were fed basal diet (50% skimmed milk, 36% corn starch, 10% groundnut oil, and 4% mineral and vitamin premix) (Oboh et al, 2010), while Groups III and IV were fed basal diet supplemented with 0.5% and 1% sorghum straw dye, respectively, for 20 d before cisplatin administration. On day 20, Group I received sterile water (1 mL/kg, i.p.…”

African Sorghum-Based Fermented Foods: Past, Current and Future Prospects

“…Other beneficial effects of sorghum and its derived products include their ability to improve glycemic response, prevent cancer and confer anti-inflammatory effects. Other studies in the literature have also reported that sorghum phenolic extracts exert a protective effect to help prevent the onset of neurodegenerative related diseases, confer antidiabetic and anticancer effects, reduce swelling (oedema) and lower the incidence of oesophageal cancer [83][84][85][86][87][88][89]. Evidence for this has been demonstrated in previous studies and recently summarized in the reviews of Girard & Awika [70] and Aruna & Visarada [65].…”

Sorghum: An Underutilized Cereal Whole Grain with the Potential to Assist in the Prevention of Chronic Disease

“…To date, several in-vitro and animal model studies have highlighted the potential of sorghum grain components, such as polyphenols, to scavenge free radicals. (176,(181)(182)(183)(184) Unfortunately, these studies are limited in their ability to attribute direct antioxidant effects of sorghum, as they do not account for metabolic transformations and interactions that influence bioavailability and biological activity of the polyphenols in the body after ingestion. For example, it is unclear what transformations polyphenols undergo in vivo, from the oral cavity, through the gastrointestinal tract and after absorption and metabolism.…”