Neuroprotective Efficacy of Eugenol and Isoeugenol in Acrylamide-Induced Neuropathy in rats: Behavioral and Biochemical evidence.

The primary objective of this investigation was
to assess the neuroprotective efficacy of spice active principles
namely Eugenol (Eug) and isoeugenol (IE) in an
acrylamide (ACR) neuropathy model in rats. In the present
study, ACR administration (50 mg/kg bw, i.p. 3 times/
week) for 5 weeks to growing rats caused typical symptoms
of neuropathy. We found that treatment of ACR rats
with spice active principles (10 mg/kg bw, for 5 weeks)
caused marked improvement in gait score and responses in
a battery of behavioral tests. Terminally, both spice active
principles markedly attenuated ACR-induced markers of
oxidative stress viz., reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde
(MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) in sciatic nerve
(SN) as well as brain regions (cortex Ct, cerebellum Cb).
Treatment with Eug restored the reduced glutathione levels
in SN and brain regions. Interestingly, both spice active
principles effectively diminished ACR-induced elevation
in cytosolic calcium levels and acetylcholinesterase activity
in SN and Ct. Further, the diminished activity of
ATPase among ACR rats was enhanced in SN and restored
in brain regions. Furthermore, Eug treatment significantly
offset ACR-induced depletion in dopamine levels in brain
regions. Collectively our findings suggest the propensity of
these spice active principles to attenuate ACR-induced
neuropathy. Further studies are necessary to understand the
precise molecular mechanism/s by which these spice active
principles attenuate neuropathy. Nevertheless, our data
clearly demonstrate the beneficial effects of spice active
principles in ACR-induced neuropathy in rats and suggest
their possible therapeutic usage as an adjuvant in the
management of other forms of neuropathy in humans.