S. Yadav, V. Sharma
Lead is virtually toxic to every organ of body including central nervous system where it may manifest as encephalopathy’s and neuropathies, but also various behavioral changes indicative of cerebral dysfunction like; periodic convulsions, irritability, hyperactivity, retardation of normal development, emotional instability, behavioral disorders, low attention span, impaired motor development, and antisocial behavior. The purpose of present study was to characterize the putative neuroprotective role and anti-amnesic effect of docosahexaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid. PRO-PL (British Biologicals, Bangalore) dietary supplement containing docosahexaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid was fed in diet to study neuroprotective role and anti-amnesic effect using rota rod apparatus and elevated-plus maze model respectively. A total number of 48 adult Swiss albino mice of either sex were included in the study consisting of equal numbers (six each) in Standard, Control, Control + Dietary Supplement and Experimental, Experimental + Dietary Supplement Groups. Experimental groups received 4.5% and 5% Lead Nitrate and Lead Acetate Trihydrate orally alone and with Dietary Supplement for a period of 3 weeks. Diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) and Piracetam (200 mg/kg i.p.) was used as the standard drug. All the experimental work was approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (Ref. No.IAEC/257). In rota rod apparatus, there was significant increase in time spent by the animals on revolving rod whereas; in elevated-plus maze there was significant increase in time spent and number of entries into the open arms. Dietary supplement containing docosahexaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid shows prominent neuroprotective and anti-amnesic effect in lead induced Swiss albino mice.
Keywords: Docosahexaenoic acid, Gamma-linolenic acid, Amnesia, Neurological deficit, Lead nitrate, Lead acetate trihydrate.