Omega-3 fatty acid attenuates oxidative stress in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus tissue and improves neurobehavioral activity in chronic lead-induced neurotoxicity

Abstract

Objectives: In view of the increasing risk of lead on human health, the present study has been carried out to investigate the neuroprotective effect of omega-3 fatty acid on chronic lead-induced neurotoxicity and behavioral impairment in rats.

Methods: Different neurobehavioral parameters, biochemical assays, and histopathological analyses in brain regions of rats were conducted.

Results: Rats exposed to different doses of lead (lead acetate 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 mg/kg body weight p.o. for 90 days) caused a significant decrease in body weight, brain weight, and behavioral changes as compared to controls. Abnormal histopathological and increased levels of lead in blood and brain regions increased the levels of ROS, LPO, PCC and decreased the levels of GSH with concomitant reduction in SOD, CAT, and GPx activities in the brain region of rats treated with different doses of lead as compared to controls. Co-treatment of lead with omega-3 fatty acid (500 mg/kg body weight p.o. for 90 days) decreased the levels of ROS, LPO, PCC, and increased the level of GSH, also increased SOD, CAT, and GPx activity and showed improvements in behavioral as well as histopathological changes as compared to lead-treated groups.

Discussion: Our results proved that omega-3 fatty acid improved behavioral deficits, altered histopathological and oxidative stress in lead-intoxicated rats. Among three different doses, 2.5 mg/kg b.wt. of lead along with omega-3 fatty acid was the most preventive dose for the neurotoxicity. This work reveals the potential of omega-fatty acid as a protective drug for lead neurotoxicity.

Keywords:

• Lead
• Neurotoxicity
• Behavioral
• Omega-3 fatty acid
• Neuroprotection
• Rats

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Head, Department of Pharmacology, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow for his interest and support in the study. The authors are also thankful to Mr Ashok Kumar, lab technician and Mr Shyam Kanaujia, lab attendant for technical support and giving his valuable time for the study.

Disclaimer statements

Contributors None.

Funding This work was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi (Grant no. 5/9/1048/2012-RHN).

Conflicts of interest None.

Ethics approval The experimental protocol was approved by an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (wide letter no-24/IAH/Pharma-16) of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow and all experiments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines by the committee for the purpose of control and supervision of experiments on animals (CPCSEA), Ministry of Environment and Forests (Government of India), New Delhi, India.

ORCID

Rajesh Singh Yadav http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1754-6187

Rajendra Nath http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3818-6720