EFECTO NEUROPROTECTOR DE LA SPIRULINA EN RATON

Abstract

The algae Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima is a cyanobacterium with numerous nutritional and pharmacological properties, besides having an important antioxidant activity. Spirulina has been shown to have beneficial actions in various animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. It has been shown that Spirulina protects the animals from acute systemic inflammation, a lesion of nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of ischemia and reduced infarct volume in the cerebral cortex. Many of these properties are mainly related to its antioxidant capacity due to the presence of phenolic compounds, γ-linolenic acid, minerals, tocopherols, β-carotene and phycocyanin. This study evaluated the neuroprotective role of Spirulina against neurotoxicity induced by kainic acid. We used Swiss Webster male mice treated with Spirulina (200, 400 and 800 mg / kg) orally for 24 days, the kainic acid (35 mg / kg) intraperitoneally a single dose on day 14. After treatment, we assessed the activity of Spirulina on: motor coordination, spatial memory, analgesic activity, anxiety and stress caused by kainic acid, coupled peroxidation of lipids, antioxidant SOD activity and morphological analysis of neurons in the hippocampus. The doses used in Spirulina, counteracted the effect caused by kainic acid in neuropharmacological tests of motor coordination, memory, learning and anxiety. Lipoperoxidation was significantly higher in the kainic acid group compared with the control group. Spirulina treatment at higher doses (Spirulina 400 + kainic acid and Spirulina 800 + kainic acid) reduced lipid peroxidation compared to kainic acid group, showing that Spirulina reduces oxidative stress and protects against neurobehavioral effects kainic acid. The SOD activity was unchanged in the treated groups compared to control group. While treatment with Spirulina in doses of 400 and 800 mg / kg increased the number of normal cells in the hippocampus compared to kainic acid group. According to the results, Spirulina decreased the neurotoxic effect of kainic acid probably due to its antioxidant properties, suggesting that it could be an alternative in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.