Cerebroprotective effect of Eclipta alba against global model of cerebral ischemia induced oxidative stress in rats

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) Vol. 19; no. 12; pp. 1108 - 1116
• Main Authors: Mansoorali, K.P., Prakash, T., Kotresha, D., Prabhu, K., Rama Rao, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Elsevier GmbH 15-09-2012; Urban & Fischer Verlag
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants - metabolism; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Brain - pathology; Brain edema; Brain Edema - etiology; Brain Edema - prevention & control; Brain Ischemia - drug therapy; Brain Ischemia - metabolism; Care and treatment; Cerebral Infarction - etiology; Cerebral Infarction - metabolism; Cerebral Infarction - prevention & control; Cerebral ischemia; Compositae; Coronary Occlusion; Coumestans; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Eclipta; Eclipta alba; Health aspects; HPLC fingerprint; Infarct size; Male; Materia medica, Vegetable; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Phytotherapy; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Quercetin; Quercetin - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reperfusion Injury - metabolism; Reperfusion Injury - prevention & control; Stroke - complications; Stroke - drug therapy; Stroke - metabolism; Malaysia; India; Oxidative stress; Eclipta alba; Quercetin; HPLC fingerprint; Infarct size; Brain edema; Coumestans
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2012.07.004

Rat Brain infarction after cerebral ischemia by BCCAO after 4h reperfusion. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining has been employed in present study to determine the area of infarction in brain tissue. TTC is a water-soluble dye that is reduced to formazone by the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase and cofactor NAD, present in mitochondria and stain viable tissue deep red in color. Ischemic tissue with damaged mitochondria remains unstained.
Oxidative stress is believed to contribute to neuronal damage induced by cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible cerebroprotective and antioxidant effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Eclipta alba against global cerebral ischemia in the rat. Adult Wistar albino rats were treated with extract of Eclipta alba (250 and 500mg/kg/day, p.o.) for 10 days. The global cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury was induced by occluding bilateral common carotid arteries (BCCA) for 30min, followed by 4h reperfusion. Quercetin (20mg/kg, i.p.) was used for the reference compound. After that, animals were sacrificed by decapitation, brain was removed, various biochemical estimations, cerebral edema, assessment of cerebral infarct size, and histopathological examinations were carried out. BCCA caused significant depletion in superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), glutahione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione ruductase (GR) and significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain. Pretreatment with hydroalcoholic extract of Eclipta alba significantly reversed the levels of biochemical parameters and significantly reduced the edema and cerebral infarct size as compared to the ischemic control group. Eclipta alba at higher dose markedly reduced ischemia-induced neuronal loss of the brain. Reduction of cerebral edema, an early symptom of ischemia, is one of the most important remedies for reducing subsequent chronic neural damage in stroke. The results of the study show that Eclipta alba pretreatment ameliorates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and enhances the antioxidant defense against BCCA occlusion induced I/R in rats; so it exhibits cerebroprotective property. HPLC fingerprint of hydroalcoholic extract of Eclipta alba was performed for conforming the coumestan present in the plant extract.