A study on neuroprotective effect of cod liver oil in bilateral common carotid artery occlusion induced global cerebral ischemia in rats

Abstract

Cerebral is chemia is a syndrome characterized by rapid onset of neurological injury due to interruption of blood flow to the brain and it leads to various pathological modalities such as mitochondrial damage, neuronal cell death and also associated with oxidative stress and DNA fragmentation. The present study reports the neuroprotective activity of Cod liver oil in cerebral ischemic rats. Cerebral ischemia was induced in rats by the bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) and Cod liver oil was evaluated at four different time points i.e., 30mins before cerebral ischemia (day 1), followed by 24, 48 and 72 hours post first dose. Biochemical parameters viz., lipid peroxidase (LPO), acetyl cholinesterase (AChE), reduced glutathione (GSH) and total protein levels were estimated. The different doses of Cod liver oil have significantly improved the altered levels of LPO, AChE, GSH and total protein levels in treatment groups which prior undergone occlusion procedure for 10mins in rats. Histopathological observation supports the prevention in architecture of the brain due to the treatment with Cod liver oil against occlusion induced cerebral ischemia in rats. The results obtained from the study suggested that the neuroprotective effect of Cod liver oil was mediated through the antioxidant, free radical scavenging activity and also return of biochemical marker level near to normal values.