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International Journal of Health and Allied Sciences

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mulberry extracts and active components have numerous good neurological and biological benefits, making them promising candidates in the research for new medications to treat neurological problems. METHODS: In the present study we evaluated the neuroprotective role of mulberry fruit extract against the paraquat (PQ) induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster. After the exposure to PQ, Flies were assayed for climbing activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxide (LPO) content, acetylcholine esterase activities (AChe), and also the antioxidant defense system such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities (CAT) and glutathione synthetase (GSH) RESULTS: In a negative geotaxis assay, MF pre-treated flies exposed to PQ showed a lower incidence of mortality and enhanced climbing activities of flies when compared to untreated flies exposed to PQ. In addition, when exposed to PQ, untreated flies resulted in a significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in oxidative stress markers such as ROS, LPO content and AChe and decreased the antioxidant defense system such as SOD, CAT, and GSH. However, flies pre-treated with MF when exposed to PQ ameliorated oxidative stress markers and by restoring the antioxidant defense system, additionally, the pre-treatment of MF flies also reduced AChe activities. CONCLUSION: The pre-treatment of flies with MF extract has the potential to reduce PQ-induced oxidative stress due to its antioxidative nature and ability to modify the activities of antioxidant defense systems. However, further research is needed to understand the exact mechanism of its activity.

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