Abstract
Plant extracts have been reported to prevent various diseases associated with oxidative stress. Trichilia catigua, a traditional Brazilian herbal medicine, exhibits beneficial behavioral effects in experimental models of neuropathologies and protects rat hippocampal slices from oxidative stress induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of T. catigua against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-, sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-, and 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA)-induced neurotoxicity in rat hippocampal slices. Exposure of rat hippocampal slices to H2O2, SNP or 3-NPA (150–500μM) for 1h caused significant decrease in cellular viability (evaluated by MTT reduction), increased reactive oxygen/nitrogen species in the incubation medium as well as lipid peroxidation in slices homogenates. Pre-treatment of slices with T. catigua (10–100μg/mL) for 30min significantly attenuated the toxic effects of pro-oxidants. Phytochemical profile of T. catigua determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD) indicated the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds. These antioxidant compounds can be involved in T. catigua neuroprotective effects. Consequently, T. catigua antioxidative properties may be useful in the prevention of cellular damage triggered by oxidative stress found in acute and chronic neuropathological situations.
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