Landolphia owariensis Attenuates Alcohol-induced Cerebellar Neurodegeneration: Significance of Neurofilament Protein Alteration in the Purkinje Cells

Abstract

Background: Alcohol-induced cerebellar neurodegeneration is a neuroadaptation that is associated with chronic alcohol abuse. Conventional drugs have been largely unsatisfactory in preventing neurodegeneration. Yet, multimodal neuroprotective therapeutic agents have been hypothesised to have high therapeutic potential for the treatment of CNS conditions; there is yet a dilemma of how this would be achieved. Contrarily, medicinal botanicals are naturally multimodal in their mechanism of action. Aim: The eff ect of L. owariensis was therefore assessed in alcohol-induced neurodegeneration of the cerebellar cortex in rats. Materials and methods: Two groups of rats were oro-gastrically fed thrice daily with 5 g/kg ethanol (25% w/v), and 5 g/kg ethanol (25% w/v) plus L. owariensis (100 mg/kg body weight) respectively in diluted nutritionally complete diet (50% v/v). A control group was correspondingly fed a nutritionally complete diet (50% v/v) made isocaloric with glucose. Cytoarchitectural study of the cerebellar cortex was examined with H&E. Immunocytochemical analysis was carried out with the use of monoclonal antibody anti-NF in order to detect alterations in the neuronal cytoskeleton. Results: After 4 days of binge alcohol treatment, we observed that L. owariensis supplementation signifi cantly lowered the levels of histologic and biochemical indices of neurodegeneration. The level of neurodegeneration and cytoarchitecture distortion of the cerebellar cortex of rats exposed to ethanol was reduced by L. owariensis. Neurofi lament-immunoreactivity (NF-IR) was evoked in the Purkinje cells of rats that received L. owariensis supplement. Conclusions: L. owariensis attenuates alcohol-induced cerebellar degeneration in the rat by alleviating oxidative stress and alteration of NF protein expression in the Purkinje cells.

Comparative Acute Oral Toxicity of Landolphia owariensis P. beauv. Leaf Extracts in Wistar Rats

“…39 In other studies, an LD50 of greater than 5,000 mg/kg was reported with the Ethanol, Methanol, Water, Hexane, and Acetone extracts of L. owariensis leaves 40 while an LD50 of greater than 3000 mg/Kg was obtained for the hydroethanolic bark extract of the plant when applied intraperitoneally. 41 It is pertinent to note that in all the previous reports in literature, there is no record of death of animals that received extracts of this plant. Another study on the aqueous leaf extract of the plant 30 indicates an LD50 of 3370 mg/Kg.…”

Landolphia (P. Beauv.) genus: Ethnobotanical, phytochemical and pharmacological studies

“…After 15 days treatment, no variation was observed in albumin, total protein concentration and serum activity of ALT, AST and ALP, however, there were significant decreases in haemoglobin and bilirubin concentrations (Nwogu et al, 2008). Aqueous extract of L. owariensis bark showed no biochemical and histological effects on rats, but, extract significantly reduced the biochemical and histological neurodegeneration of cerebellar cortex and NF-IR was induced in Purkinje cells after four days treatment ( Oyinbo et al, 2016 ).…”

Nauclea latifolia stem-bark extract protects the prefrontal cortex from valproic acid - induced oxidative stress in rats: Effect on B-cell lymphoma and neuron specific enolase protein expression

“…The sections were dried on hot plate at 60 ºC for 2hours.The tissue were further processed by dehydrating with ascending grades of alcohol, cleared in two changes of xylene and embedded in molten paraffin wax and sectioned using rotary microtome, mounted on glass slide and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Ultra-sections from each group were examined by light microscopy for tissue injury and neurodegenerative features such as shrinkage of the neuron, hyperchromasia, and nuclear pyknosis as exposed by heamatoxylin and eosin staining techniques following the methodology of Oyinbo et al [68]. Cortical Purkinje cells estimation was based on semi-quantitative scale described in previous study [68] was used to assess the extent of neurodegeneration in the PFC with 400× magnification.…”

“…Ultra-sections from each group were examined by light microscopy for tissue injury and neurodegenerative features such as shrinkage of the neuron, hyperchromasia, and nuclear pyknosis as exposed by heamatoxylin and eosin staining techniques following the methodology of Oyinbo et al [68]. Cortical Purkinje cells estimation was based on semi-quantitative scale described in previous study [68] was used to assess the extent of neurodegeneration in the PFC with 400× magnification.…”