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Background: Sodium benzoate (SB) is a widely used food preservative. However, excessive intake of a high dose of SB poses a risk of neurotoxicity. Ascorbic acid (AA) is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in fruits with reported neuroprotective properties. The present study investigated the neurobehavioral and biochemical alterations in SB-treated rats and the ameliorative effect of AA in rats.Methods: Forty-two male Wistar rats were divided into six groups (n = 7). Group 1 (vehicle, 10 ml/kg), Groups 2-4 rats SB (150, 300, and 600 mg/kg), Group 5 AA (100 mg/kg) and Group 6 (SB 600 mg/kg + AA 100 mg/kg). Treatment was daily administered for 28 days by oral route. Anxiogenic behavior, locomotor, and exploratory activities were evaluated in the open field monitored with a camera, and memory performance in Y-maze. Brain oxidative stress, inflammatory, apoptosis, and cholinergic markers were determined. The cortico-hippocampal tissues were examined histologically.Results: SB-treated rats showed significant anxiogenic-like behavior and impairment in locomotor, exploratory, and memory performance. This was reversed in SB (600 mg/kg)-treated rats coadministered with AA. SB-treated rats showed a decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities, increase malondialdehyde (MDA), nitrite, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, caspase-3, and acetylcholinesterase activity in the striatum, hippocampus, frontal cortex, and cerebellum. These biochemical changes were reversed in AA-treated rats. Reduced cortico-hippocampal neuronal cell count and the pyknotic index were found in SB-treated rats, which was also reversed in AA-treated rats. Conclusion:Conclusively, sodium-benzoate-induced neurobehavioral deficits and brain biochemical changes were ameliorated by ascorbic acid probably via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and apoptotic mechanisms.

Background Apple Cider Vinegar, (APCV) has been locally associated with a number of health benefits, including protection against oxidative stress and related ailments. It is on this background the present study assessed its protective effects against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced oxidative damage in kidneys of rats. Methods Twenty four adult rats of Wistar strain were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 6). While group I animals served as control; kidney oxidative damage was induced in groups II and III animals using a single intraperitoneal injection of CCl 4 (100%, 1.73 mL/kg body weight, BW). Group II animals were left untreated and groups III and IV counterparts were administered APCV (1.56 mL/kg BW) once daily for a period of 7 days. Thereafter, the animals were fasted over night, and sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and samples (blood and kidney tissues) were collected for biochemical/histopathological examinations. Kidney function markers including urea, creatinine, sodium ion (Na + ) and potassium ion (k + ) were determined in the serum while thin sections of kidneys were processed for histopathological screening. Results Compared to the control animals, CCl 4 administration caused kidney damage as evidenced by significant (P < 0.05) increase in the evaluated indices (urea, creatinine, Na + and K + ). Interestingly, treatment of CCl 4 -exposed rats with APCV markedly reversed the above alterations to near normal. Besides, APCV treatment ameliorated the histological derangements (hemorrhagic lesions) caused by CCl 4 in the kidney of the experimental rats. Conclusion These observations apparently suggest that Apple cider vinegar has the therapeutic potential to protect against renal impairment and attendant malfunction.

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