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Herbal Therapies
Published in Anil K. Sharma, Raj K. Keservani, Surya Prakash Gautam, Herbal Product Development, 2020
H. Shahrul, M. L. Tan, A. H. Auni, S. R. Nur, S. M. N. Nurul
Neurological diseases are characterized by progressive dysfunction and death of neurons and the main degenerative disorders manifest predominantly as movement disorders, those of cognition or a mixture of both (Vajda, 2002). Movement disorders include akinetic and rigid forms, predominantly extrapyramidal deficits, hyperkinetic dysregulation of movement, ataxic with features of cerebellar ataxia, and motor neuron disorders (Vajda, 2002). Neuronal damage may be contributed by excitotoxicity, cerebral ischaemia and target deprivation. Excitotoxicity refers to an excessive activation of neuronal amino acid receptors, leading to apoptotic DNA fragmentation and cellular fragmentation (Mark et al., 2001; Vajda, 2002). On the other hand, cerebral ischemia is a condition where cessation of blood supply to the brain tissue leads to necrosis and apoptosis (Lee et al., 2001). Neurological disease is reported as the third most common cause of death. It is the leading cause of adult neurological disability (Carter et al., 2007). Among the important pathological mechanisms include inflammatory reaction, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, oxidative stress, and neuronal apoptosis. They are widely considered as the four major therapeutic targets for acute ischemic stroke (Lalkovičováand Danielisová, 2016). Competition between neurons for innervation of their targets may cause target deprivation-induced neuronal death and is mainly apoptotic and occurs by programmed cell death (Deshmukh and Johnson, 1997; Martin et al., 1998). Environmental factors in neurodegenerative disease comprise physical, toxic and infection related factors. Other possible factors include dietary excitotoxic and bacterial or viral infections (Vajda, 2002). Neuroprotection could possibly result in salvage, recovery or regeneration of the nervous system, its cells, structure and function. It is also used to refer to relative mechanisms that prevents the central nervous system (CNS) from neuronal injuries caused by chronic (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) or acute (e.g., stroke) neurodegenerative diseases (Elufioye et al., 2017). Numerous herbal plants contain neuroprotective and possess memory enhancing effects. Among well-studied herbs include Ginkgo biloba, Panax ginseng, and Salvia officinalis will be highlighted in this chapter.
Adansonia digitata ameliorates lead-induced memory impairments in rats by reducing glutamate concentration and oxidative stress
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2022
Eduitem S. Otong, Sunday A. Musa, Barnabas Danborno, Sohnap J. Sambo, Nathan I. Dibal
Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS involved in neuronal transmission, development, differentiation and plasticity [43]. However, excess accumulation of glutamate leads to abnormal depolarization of neurons, resulting in excitotoxicity and neuronal cell death [44]. The significant increase in glutamate concentration of Pb-treated rats was attributed to the fact that Pb can inhibit glutamate uptake by astrocyte at the synaptic cleft. Lead toxicity was reported to affect astrocytes functions by depolarizing the cell membrane, resulting in calcium in entry into post-synaptic cell and affecting normal neurotransmission [45,46]. Notably, our study has showed that AD and DMSA modulated glutamate concentration in lead-treated rats. Adansonia digitata L. modulates glutamate concentration by increasing cellular uptake to maintain low extracellular glutamate. Low levels of extracellular glutamate increases neurotransmission, and glutamate has no extracellular metabolism. Therefore, a low level of glutamate can be achieved by improving cellular uptake [47]. Adansonia digitata L. protects neurons by preventing cell membrane depolarization while the antioxidant role chelate Pb and prevents its excess accumulation in the brain to allow astrocytes function effectively. The vitamin C content of AD might also prevent cell membrane depolarization. Similarly, some plants with antioxidant potentials like Lion’s Mane were reported to control glutamate concentration and prevent excitotoxicity [48]. It is evident that lead toxicity distorts the histological architecture of brain, resulting in several neurodegenerative changes and hence affecting its function [2]. The ameliorative role of AD in brain architecture could be linked to its antioxidant property and the presence of phenolic compounds. Plants with antioxidant properties have been shown to protect the brain structure against lead toxicity [38].