Protective effect of hesperidin and naringin against 3-nitropropionic acid induced Huntington's like symptoms in rats: possible role of nitric oxide.

3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) is a well known experimental model to study Huntington's disease (HD) and associated neuropsychiatric problems. Present study has been designed to explore the protective effects of hesperidin, naringin, and their nitric oxide mechanism (if any) against 3-nitropropionic acid induced neurotoxicity in rats. Systemic 3-nitropropionic acid (10 mg/kg) treatment for 14 days in rats significantly induced HD like symptoms in rats as indicated by reduced locomotor activity, body weight, grip strength, oxidative defense and mitochondrial complex enzymes (complex-I, -II, and -IV) activities in striatum. Naringin and hesperidin pretreatment significantly attenuated behavioral alterations, oxidative stress and mitochondrial enzymes complex dysfunction in 3-NP treated group. L-Arginine (50 mg/kg) pretreatment with lower dose of hesperidin (50 mg/kg) and naringin (50 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the protective effect of hesperidin and naringin respectively. Whereas L-NAME (10 mg/kg), a non-selective NOS inhibitor pretreatment with hesperidin (50 mg/kg) and naringin (50 mg/kg) significantly potentiated their protective effect which was significant as compared to their effect per se. Study highlights the therapeutic potential of hesperidin and naringin against Huntington's like conditions and further indicates that these drugs might act through nitric oxide mechanism.