Abstract
Objective: Effect of oleanolic acid against hexavalent chromium-induced altered brain energy metabolism associated with oxidative stress was evaluated in the present study. Methods: Swiss albino mice were divided into three groups, Control (n=6), chromium-treated (n=6), and oleanolic acid (OA) supplemented (n=6). The chromium treated group was orally administered with K2Cr2O7 for 30 days at a dose of 10 mg/kg b.w/day. OA supplementation was given at a dose of 5 mg/kg bw/day for the past 14 days of chromium treatment. Control group received the vehicle only. After the treatment, whole brain was removed for examining the parameters such as pyruvic acid, free amino nitrogen, tissue protein, TCA cycle enzyme activities, NADH dehydrogenase function, and oxidative stress markers. Results: Significant decrease in cerebral pyruvic acid content associated with suppressed malate dehydrogenase and succinate dehydrogenase activities were observed. The NADH dehydrogenase activity was inhibited owing to enhanced accumulation of chromium in cerebral tissue. Depletion of proteins and increased free amino acid nitrogen were accompanied with inhibited cathepsin, pronase and trypsin activities, and increased transaminase function. In addition, GSH content was decreased along with increased lipid peroxidation, oxidized GSSG content, TG/GSSG ratio, carbonylated protein content, and tissue free hydroxyl radical formation. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase were also inhibited by hexavalent chromium. Oleanolic acid supplementation was found to have significant protective effect against brain metabolic and oxidative dysfunctions. Conclusion: The present study elucidated therapeutic efficacy of oleanolic acid against hexavalent chromium toxicity in brain tissue of mice.
Highlights
Metal toxicity is one of the serious problems to living organisms as a consequence of industrialization, globalization, pollution, and other anthropogenic activities
Oleanolic acid supplementation in chromium-treated mice appreciably restored the changes in cerebro-somatic index (CSI) (21.3% restoration, p
The present study further evaluated the protective efficacy of oleanolic acid, isolated from N. wightiana, a medicinal plant collected from the South district of Tripura, North East India against hexavalent chromium toxicity
Summary
Metal toxicity is one of the serious problems to living organisms as a consequence of industrialization, globalization, pollution, and other anthropogenic activities. Its extensive applications including plating, painting, leather tanning, cementing and as anticorrosion agent make it more available for human exposure [1]. In environment, it exists in different valency states, among which hexavalent chromium is hemotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic in nature [2,3]. Due to solubility in water, hexavalent chromium is abundant in polluted water. Seven countries in the world namely South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Finland, and Turkey experience chromium exposure from human activities at stationary point sources [5]
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