calyx protect against oxidative stress and aluminium chloride-induced neurotoxicity in the brain of experimental rats.

We evaluated the antioxidant and neuroprotective potentials of extracts of calyx in Wistar albino male rats injected intraperitoneally with aluminium chloride at a dose of 7 mg/kg/day. Phytochemical screening of calyx show that coumarin glycosides and steroid were absent after drying at 50 C. At 30 C, there were significant (p < 0.05) highest amounts of phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannin, and saponin. The extracts showed significantly (p < 0.05) high dose-dependent antioxidant activities. MDA significantly (p < 0.05) increased, while GSH, GPX, SOD, CAT activities significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in the brain of the experimental rats induced with AlCl, while treatment with the extracts reversed these effects to a relatively normal level. At doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg body weight, the extracts of the calyx dried at 30 C exhibited the highest capacity to increase the activities of GSH and GPx. Also, AlCl caused significant increases (p < 0.05) in the percentage inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase activities, and a significantly (p < 0.05) lower protein levels in the brain of the test rats, while treatment with the extracts, at low and high doses, significantly (p < 0.05) reversed these effects in the rat brain to near normal exhibited a good potential to protect against oxidative stress and neurotoxicity.