Abstract
BackgroundDendropanax morbifera Léveille has been employed for the treatment of infectious diseases using folk medicine. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant effects of a leaf extract of Dendropanax morbifera Léveille in the hippocampus of mercury-exposed rats.MethodsSeven-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats received a daily intraperitoneal injection of 5 μg/kg dimethylmercury and/or oral Dendropanax morbifera Léveille leaf extract (100 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Animals were sacrificed 2 h after the last dimethylmercury and/or leaf extract treatment. Mercury levels were measured in homogenates of hippocampal tissue, a brain region that is vulnerable to mercury toxicity. In addition, we measured reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation levels, and antioxidant levels in these hippocampal homogenates.ResultsTreatment with Dendropanax morbifera Léveille leaf extract significantly reduced mercury levels in hippocampal homogenates and attenuated the dimethylmercury-induced increase in the production of reactive oxygen species and formation of malondialdehyde. In addition, this leaf extract treatment significantly reversed the dimethylmercury-induced reduction in the hippocampal activities of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione-S-transferase.ConclusionThese results suggest that a leaf extract of Dendropanax morbifera Léveille had strong antioxidant effects in the hippocampus of mercury-exposed rats.
Highlights
Dendropanax morbifera Léveille has been employed for the treatment of infectious diseases using folk medicine
Recently, several attempts have been made to develop approaches that facilitate the removal of heavy metals from the body, because these metals have been found to accumulate in the body over time [1,2,3,4]
Effects of MeHg and Dendropanax morbifera leaves (DML) on hippocampal Hg levels Similar hippocampal Hg concentrations were observed in the DML and control groups
Summary
Dendropanax morbifera Léveille has been employed for the treatment of infectious diseases using folk medicine. We evaluated the antioxidant effects of a leaf extract of Dendropanax morbifera Léveille in the hippocampus of mercury-exposed rats. Methods: Seven-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats received a daily intraperitoneal injection of 5 μg/kg dimethylmercury and/or oral Dendropanax morbifera Léveille leaf extract (100 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Several attempts have been made to develop approaches that facilitate the removal of heavy metals from the body, because these metals have been found to accumulate in the body over time [1,2,3,4]. Organic Hg can accumulate due to exposure to dimethylmercury (MeHg) and this is the most common cause of intoxication in humans [6]. The main cause of Hg exposure in humans Strong chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) can efficiently remove heavy metals from contaminated soils. We previously demonstrated that a stem extract of Dendropanax morbifera facilitated the
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