Alcoholic extract of Bacopa monniera Linn. protects against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced changes in behavioral and biochemical aspects: a pilot study.

Parkinson's disease is one of the commonest neurodegenerative diseases, and oxidative stress has been evidenced to play a vital role in its causation. In this study, we evaluated whether alcoholic extract of Bacopa monniera (AEBM), an antioxidant and memory enhancer can slow the neuronal injury in a 6-OHDA-rat model of Parkinson's. Rats were treated with 20 and 40 mg/kg bodyweight of AEBM for 3 weeks. On Day 21, 2 μl of 6-OHDA (12 μg in 0.01 % in ascorbic acid-saline) was infused into the right striatum, while the control group received 2 μl of vehicle. Three weeks after the 6-OHDA injection, the rats were tested for neurobehavioral activity (rotarod, locomotor activity, grip test, forced swim test, radial arm maze) and were killed after 6 weeks for the estimation of lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH) content, activities of glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT). The deficits in behavioral activity due to 6-OHDA lesioning were significantly and dose dependently restored by AEBM. Lesioning was followed by an increased lipid peroxidation and significant depletion of reduced GSH content in the substantia nigra, which was prevented with AEBM pretreatment. The activities of GSH-dependent enzymes, CAT and SOD in striatum were reduced significantly by lesioning, which were restored significantly and dose dependently by AEBM. This study indicates that the extract of B. monniera might be helpful in attenuating 6-OHDA-induced lesioning in rats.