Effect of Methanolic Extract of Platycerium angolence on Aluminium Chloride-induced Neurotoxicity in Rats

The aim of this study is to determine the ameliorative effects of methanolic extract of Platycerium angolence (MEPA)on aluminium chloride (AlCl3)-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Rats were randomly separated into five groups containing four rats each. Group 1 serves as the control group and received normal saline, group 2 rats were administered with 100 mg/kg body weight of AlCl3 orally for 28 days to induce neuronal damage, while groups 3 and 4 rats received 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of MEPA for 7days after induction of neuronal damage by AlCl3 for 28 days. Group 5 rats were administered donepezil drug (0.2 mg/kg) which served as reference drug. Behavioural study such as elevated plus maze, Y-maze and open field tests were investigated on the rats. Biochemical assays such as lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase activities, and metal concentration in the whole brain homogenates were estimated using standard procedures. Results revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in the memory index (MI), lipid peroxidation of animals in the AlCl3 group when compared with the control and the MEPA treated groups. The significant (p<0.05) decrease on lipid peroxidation MEPA was dose dependent. The acetylcholinesterase activities observed in the brain of 250 mg/kg (0.49 μmol acetylcholine/hr/mg protein) group and 500 mg/kg of extract (0.66 μmol acetylcholine/hr/mg protein) has comparative effect with the group treated with the standard drug donepezil when compared with AlCl3 induced group (1.31 μmol acetylcholine/hr/mg protein). This study revealed that both doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg of MEPA has ameliorative potential against AlCl3-induced neurotoxicity in rats but 500 mg/kg of the extract shows better protection.