<i>Alhagi maurorum</i> Ethanolic Extract Rescues Hepato-Neurotoxicity and Neurobehavioral Alterations Induced by Lead in Rats via Abrogating Oxidative Stress and the Caspase-3-Dependent Apoptotic Pathway
Taghred M. Saber,
Azza M. A. Abo-Elmaaty,
Enas N. Said,
Rasha R. Beheiry,
Attia A. A. Moselhy,
Fathy Elsayed Abdelgawad,
Mariam H. Arisha,
Taisir Saber,
Ahmed Hamed Arisha,
Esraa M. Fahmy
Affiliations
Taghred M. Saber
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Azza M. A. Abo-Elmaaty
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Enas N. Said
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Rasha R. Beheiry
Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Attia A. A. Moselhy
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Fathy Elsayed Abdelgawad
Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11651, Egypt
Mariam H. Arisha
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
Taisir Saber
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Hamed Arisha
Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo 11829, Egypt
Esraa M. Fahmy
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
This work investigated the probable protective effect of an Alhagi maurorum ethanolic extract on the hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity accompanied by neurobehavioral deficits caused by lead in rats. Rats in four groups were orally administered distilled water, ethanolic extract of A. maurorum (300 mg/kg BW daily), lead (100 mg/kg BW daily for 3 months), and lead + A. maurorum extract. The results demonstrated that lead exposure resulted in elevated locomotor activities and sensorimotor deficits associated with a decrease in brain dopamine levels. Moreover, lead exposure significantly increased liver function markers. In addition, the lead-treated rats exhibited extensive liver and brain histological changes and apoptosis. The lead treatment also triggered oxidative stress, as demonstrated by the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations with a remarkable reduction in the activities of antioxidant enzymes, reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, and transcriptional mRNA levels of antioxidant genes in the liver and brain. Nevertheless, co-treatment with the A. maurorum extract significantly ameliorated the lead-induced toxic effects. These findings indicate that the A. maurorum extract has the ability to protect hepatic and brain tissues against lead exposure in rats through the attenuation of apoptosis and oxidative stress.
