One of the mechanisms of neurotoxicity is the induction of oxidative stress. There is hardly any cure for neurotoxicity in modern medicine, whereas many drugs in Ayurveda possess
neuroprotective effects; however, there is no scientific validation for these drugs. Ksheerabala is an ayurvedic
drug which is used to treat
central nervous system disorders,
arthritis, and
insomnia. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of Ksheerabala on
quinolinic acid-induced toxicity in rat brain. The optimal dose of Ksheerabala was found from a dose escalation study, wherein it was found that Ksheerabala showed maximum protection against
quinolinic acid-induced neurotoxicity at a dose of 15 microL/100 g
body weight/day, which was selected for further experiments. Four groups of female albino rats were maintained for 21 days as follows: 1. Control group, 2.
Quinolinic acid (55 microg/100 g
body weight), 3. Ksheerabala (15 microL/100 g
body weight), 4. Ksheerabala (15 microL/100 g
body weight) +
Quinolinic acid (55 microg/100 g
body weight). At the end of the experimental period, levels of lipid peroxidation products,
protein carbonyls, and activities of scavenging
enzymes were analyzed. The results revealed that
quinolinic acid intake caused enhanced
lipid and
protein peroxidation as evidenced by increased levels of peroxidation products such as
malondialdehyde,
hydroperoxide, conjugated dienes, and
protein carbonyls. On the other hand, the activities of scavenging
enzymes such as
catalase,
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
glutathione peroxidase, and
glutathione reductase as well as the concentration of
glutathione were reduced. On coadminstration of Ksheerabala along with
quinolinic acid, the levels of all the biochemical parameters were restored to near-normal levels, indicating the protective effect of the
drug. These results were reinforced by histopathological studies.