a Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia.
b Service of Anatomo-Pathology of Menzel Bourguiba, Bizerte, Tunisia.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Dec;43(12):1275-1281. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0107. Epub 2018 May 25.
The aim of the current study was to evaluate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, antioxidant enzyme activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels induced by hydrophobic fractions of Thymus algeriensis (HFTS) growing in Tunisia. The results showed that hydrogen peroxide (HO), an oxidative stress inducer, acts by decreasing the body mass and brain mass of rats. Moreover, we found higher MDA levels in the group treated with HO (P < 0.05) and a significantly lower activity of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and superoxide dismutase, as well as a reduction in reduced glutathione activity in the brain tissues of HO-treated rats when compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05); however, rats that received HFTS with HO experienced a decrease in MDA levels in the brain. In contrast, HFTS demonstrated neuroprotective effects in rat brain. Overall, exposure to HFTS prior to HO induced a marked dose-dependent increase in reactive oxygen species scavenger levels (P < 0.05) accompanied by a statistically significant decrease in MDA levels (P < 0.05) when compared with no exposure. Notably, the activity of AChE was affected by exposure to natural compounds; levels were significantly lower in HFTS-treated rats and in those treated with the combination of HFTS and a low or high dose of HO. Furthermore, histopathological analysis showed that brain injuries occurred with high doses of HO administered alone or with a low dose of HFTS, whereas a high dose of essential oil markedly alleviated neurone degeneration. The results suggest that HFTS alleviates neuroinflammation by acting as an AChE inhibitor and attenuates HO-induced brain toxicity.
本研究旨在评估生长于突尼斯的 Thymus algeriensis（HFTS）的亲脂性部分对乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）抑制、抗氧化酶活性和丙二醛（MDA）水平的影响。结果表明，氧化应激诱导剂过氧化氢（HO）通过降低大鼠的体重和脑重来发挥作用。此外，我们发现，与对照组相比，HO 处理组大鼠的 MDA 水平显著升高（P＜0.05），而脑组织中的过氧化氢酶、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶、谷胱甘肽 S-转移酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性显著降低，谷胱甘肽活性降低（P＜0.05）；然而，接受 HO 和 HFTS 治疗的大鼠脑内 MDA 水平降低。相反，HFTS 在大鼠脑中表现出神经保护作用。总的来说，与未暴露组相比，HO 暴露之前接受 HFTS 治疗可显著增加活性氧清除剂水平（P＜0.05），并伴随 MDA 水平的统计学显著降低（P＜0.05）。值得注意的是，天然化合物的暴露会影响 AChE 的活性；HFTS 治疗组大鼠的 AChE 活性显著降低，HFTS 与低或高剂量 HO 联合治疗组大鼠的 AChE 活性也显著降低。此外，组织病理学分析显示，单独给予高剂量 HO 或低剂量 HFTS 会导致脑损伤，而高剂量精油则明显减轻神经元变性。结果表明，HFTS 通过作为 AChE 抑制剂减轻神经炎症，并减轻 HO 诱导的脑毒性。
