Prophylaxis with Centella asiatica Confers Protection to Prepubertal Mice Against 3-nitropropionic-Acid-Induced Oxidative Stress in Brain

While the usage of Centella asiatica (CA) is on the increase worldwide, evidence demonstrating its protective
effi cacy against neurotoxicants is scarce. Hence the present study aimed to understand the neuroprotective
effi cacy of a standardized aqueous extract of CA against 3-nitropropionic-acid(3-NPA)-induced oxidative stress
in the brain of prepubertal mice. We assessed the degree of oxidative stress in cytoplasm of brain regions of
male mice (4 wk- old) given CA prophylaxis (5 mg/kg bw) for 10 days followed by 3-NPA administration
(i.p.75 mg/kg bw) on the last 2 days. The neurotoxicant elicited marked oxidative stress in the brain of untreated
mice as evident by enhanced malondialdehyde levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, hydroperoxides
and protein carbonyls (a measure of protein oxidation) in striatum and other regions (cortex, cerebellum
and hippocampus), while CA prophylaxis completely ameliorated the 3-NPA- induced oxidative stress. Depletion
of glutathione (GSH) levels, total thiols, perturbations in antioxidant enzymes and cholinergic enzymes in
brain discernible among 3-NPA-treated mice were predominantly restored to normalcy with CA prophylaxis.
It is hypothesized that the prophylactic protection offered by CA extract against neurotoxicant exposure may
be largely due to its ability to enhance GSH, thiols and antioxidant defenses in the brain of prepubertal mice.