1. Academic Validation
  2. A Potent Lignan from Prunes Alleviates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Lithium/Pilocarpine-Induced Epileptic Seizures in Rats

A Potent Lignan from Prunes Alleviates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Lithium/Pilocarpine-Induced Epileptic Seizures in Rats

  • Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Jul 2;9(7):575. doi: 10.3390/antiox9070575.
Fadia S Youssef 1 Esther T Menze 2 Mohamed L Ashour 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
  • 2 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
Abstract

Prunus domestica L. is an edible plant that is included in the family Rosaceae and proven to possess potent anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic activity. Pinoresinol-4-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (PGu) was isolated from Prunus domestica methanol extract and its structure was determined using 1-D and 2-D NMR (one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance). PGu was evaluated for its anticonvulsant activity using lithium/pilocarpine-induced epileptic seizures in rats. PGu displayed a notable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. It ameliorates the seizures triggered by pilocarpine in a dose-dependent manner, manifested by retarding seizure onset, reducing the number of rats developing seizures, and enhancing the survival of Animals after seizure exposure. PGu reduced MDA (malondialdehyde) level by 24.2% in addition to increasing catalase activity by 44.4% at 50 mg/kg b.w compared to pilocarpine-treated Animals. This was confirmed by histopathological examination in which pretreatment with PGu (50 mg/kg b.w.) attenuated neurodegeneration and seizures with no histopathological alteration in neurons of the cerebral cortex. In the immunohistochemical examination, it significantly declined the elevated Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by 40% and decreased Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression by 18% as expressed by the optical density. PGu revealed a pronounced fitting within the active site of 5-LOX (lipoxygenase-5) with a free binding energy (∆G) equals to -65.05 kcal/mol. PGu could perfectly serve as a potent lead drug for the relief of epileptic seizures, which appeals to many patients owing to its natural origin.

Keywords

Prunus domestica; anti-inflammatory; epilepsy; oxidative stress; pilocarpine; pinoresinol-4-O-β-d-glucopyranoside.

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