<i>COSCINIUM FENESTRATUM</i> PROTECTS AGAINST ETHANOL-INDUCED NEURODEGENERATION IN ADULT RAT BRAIN

Abstract

Alcoholism is a serious problem throughout the world. Despite intensive efforts to develop novel therapeutics for strategy efficacy against neuronal loss leading to memory impairment in alcoholism is still limited. In view of the pitfalls of psychological dependence and adverse behavioral effects of synthetic drugs, the development of low toxicity and high efficiency medicines derived from natural herbal antioxidants exhibits expansive market prospects. In this respect, Coscinium Fenestratum (C. Fenestratum; CF) could be an attractive candidate as a diet supplement for neuroprotactant against ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. Herein, we determined the neuroprotective effects of CF against ethanol-induced neuronal damage in both hippocampus and cerebral cortex. The stems of CF extract (No. HHP-2-462) were dried, refluxed with ethanoland evaporated with lyophilizer. Extract was gave a yield of 8.53%. The rats were pretreated with the extract at various doses ranging from 5, 10 and 20 mg kg −1 once daily per os, 30 min prior to ethanol administration at a dose of 1.8 g kg −1 via i.p for 14 consecutive days and were evaluated the densities of survival and cholinergic neurons in all areas as mention above by immune histological techniques. CF extract at a dose of 5 mg kg −1 showed the attenuation of the neurotoxicity in all brain areas just mentioned except in the temporal cortex. In addition, it also mitigated the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in all areas of hippocampus except in CA3 region. This study indicated that CF extract consumption may be served as a diet supplement protect against neuronal degeneration resulting from excessive continuous consumption of alcohol. However, further researches about possible active ingredients and pharmacokinetic of the extract are still required before moving forward to clinical trial study.

Zingiber zerumbet L. (Smith) extract alleviates the ethanol-induced brain damage via its antioxidant activity

“…Necrosis was observed in neuron cells (cerebral cortex) of ethanol-induced group with pyknotic characteristic such as darken nucleus and loss of its normal shape under light microscope. This characteristic is in agreement with Phachonpai et al [ 12 ] that demonstrated ethanol administration at the dose of 1.8 g/kg via intraperitoneal for 14 days caused neurodegeneration in the cerebral cortex. Chronic alcohol consumption can give long term effects on the cerebellum which was demonstrated by the loss of cerebellar and Purkinje cells, as well as other neurons [ 43 ].…”

“…Oxidative stress induced by short-term alcohol-intake [ 30 ] ultimately lead to neuronal cell death [ 6 ]. Ethanol dosage used in this study was selected based on the previous study [ 12 ] that showed protective effects of Coscinium fenestratum against ethanol-induced neurodegeneration in adult rat brain.…”

“…Zingiberaceae family is distributed widely in Asia where 50 genera and more than 1000 species can be found in this family including Curcuma longa which produces curcumin. Curcumin has been reported to have high antioxidant activities that protect the brain against ethanol-induced brain damage [ 1 , 12 ]. Zingiber zerumbet (Smith) belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and is locally known as “ lempoyang ” [ 13 ].…”