Neuroprotective effect of silymarin against 3‐nitropropionic acid‐induced Huntington’s like symptoms in rats

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundNeuroprotective effect of silymarin against 3‐nitropropionic acid‐induced Huntington’s like symptoms in rats.MethodHuntington's disease (HD) is a chronic neurodegenerative and hyperkinetic movement disorder characterized by degeneration of GABAergic medium spiny neurons, mainly affecting striatum and cortex. 3‐nitropropionic acid (3‐NP) acts as a suitable animal model to induce HD like symptoms in rats. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of silymarin against 3‐NP induced HD like symptoms in rats. Rats were administered 3‐NP (10 mg/kg; i.p) for 21 days, whereas silymarin (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg; p.o) was given once a day, 1 hour before the 3‐NP treatment for 21 days. Body weight and behavioral parameters (rotarod, open field test, and narrow beam walk activities) were assessed on 1st, 7th, 14th, and 21st days. On the 22nd day, the animals were sacrificed, and the rat striatum and cortex were isolated to perform biochemical parameters (lipid peroxidation; glutathione; superoxide dismutase; nitrite and catalase).ResultSystemic 3‐NP treatment significantly reduced body weight, motor‐coordination, and oxidative defense. Pretreatment with silymarin significantly attenuated the 3‐NP induced alterations in body weight, locomotor activities, and oxidative defense.ConclusionOur results revealed that in a 3‐NP model of HD, silymarin could underlie the possible neuroprotective effect, which may provide insight into the therapeutic potential of silymarin for HD.