Neuroprotective effect of whole-plant extract of Torilis leptophylla   in isoflurane-treated rats

Purpose: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of Torilis leptophylla (TL) extract on animals exposed to isoflurane-induced anesthesia.
Methods: General anesthesia was induced in diabetic rats by administration of 2 % sevoflurane (v/v) in 100 % oxygen. The animals from the treatment group were orally administered TL extract. Behavioral parameters, the explicit objection recognition index, and performance in water maze experiments were observed. Additionally, the neuroprotection provided by the herbal extract was measured in terms of the reduction in oxidative stress in isolated animal brain tissue.
Results: The study showed approximately 1.5-fold improvement in object recognition index of TL-extract-treated anesthetized rats compared with the control group of anesthetized animals. Additionally, the escape latency values of the anesthetized rats in Morris water maze experiments were reduced following TL extract treatment at all time points throughout the 5-day study protocol. Finally, biomarkers of oxidative stress in the brain indicate that the levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes were improved by approximately 1.43- and 1.36-fold in TL-extract-treated rats compared with those in the control group.
Conclusion: The results of the present study show that cognitive dysfunction and brain injury associated with enhanced oxidative stress can be reversed by the antioxidant properties of the TL extract.

Keywords
Anesthesia; Torilis leptophylla; Neuroprotection; Brain injury; Cognitive impairment; Isoflurane