Pavithra, M (2017) Effect of Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass Oil) against Rotenone-Induced Parkinsonism in Rats. Masters thesis, Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Coimbatore.
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Abstract
AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Parkinson‘s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects small regions in the brain that control movement, posture and balance. It is a complex disease that has many different symptoms, so that not everyone with the condition suffers from the same problems. There are up to 10 million people in the world (i.e., approximately 0.3% of the world population) and 1% of those above 60 years be affected with PD. The pathology of PD involves the depletion of dopamine, degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the nigro striatum, etc. Usually the inhibitory dopaminergic system and excitatory cholinergic system strike a balance in maintain the posture locomotion, motor reflexes, etc. In PD, the balance is affected due to the dopaminergic nerve degeneration and cholinergic nerves get upper hand leading to symptoms of PD. Majority of population still have limited access or no access to modern medicines and rely on traditional ways of treatment. India being a country with rich floral diversity houses around 45,000 plant species. Use of herbal drugs for treating ailments is followed in Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy and Naturopathy forms of alternative medicines. Herbal medicines are now in great demand among the population in developing countries because they are inexpensive, better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with human body and minimal side effects. Currently the PD is treated with the drugs those increase the dopaminergic activity like, precursors of dopamine (levodopa), drugs that inhibit dopamine metabolism (MAO inhibitors and COMT inhibitors), drugs that release dopamine (Amantadine), dopamine receptor agonist (Ergot derived: Bromocriptine, Non ergot: Pramipexole) and drugs those that suppress the cholinergic activity (Atropine and its substitutes). Our current medication have been shown to improve symptoms, by restoring more normal chemical balance in the brain between the dopaminergic and cholinergic nerves, thereby reducing the symptoms of PD. But, the altered pathological changes are not improved and also oxidative metabolism of some of the agents actually accelerates further damage, leading to irreversible and untreatable symptoms severely affecting the quality of life of the patient and to death. Alternative and traditional medicine is becoming an increasingly important therapeutic option in various morbidities including neurodegenerative disorders. In this line, WHO has recommended the evaluation of effectiveness of plants in condition where we lack a safer modern drug. Thus, a proper scientific evaluation and screening of plants by pharmacological and chemical investigations for the discovery of potential anti-parkinsonism agents is need of the hour with possible outcomes to prevent, delay, reduce and/or treat neurodegeneration. Based on this background, the present research work on the validation of medicinal plant Cymbopogon flexuosus was carried out. The quintessential aim is to find out the effect of Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemongrass oil) against rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats. Objectives of the present study include the extraction of lemon grass oil from the plant Cymbopogon flexuosus leaves, qualitative evaluation of phytoconstituents present, testing for its toxicity, optimizing the rotenone-induced model for Parkinsonism in rats and studying the effect of the extracted oil against rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats. CONCLUSION: Many phytochemicals have been reported to exert neuroprotective effects in various experimental modes of neurological disorders. Although demand for Phytotherapeutic agents is growing, there is need for their scientific validation before plant-derived substances gain wider acceptance and use. These type of investigations may provide a new source of beneficial neuropsychotropic drugs. They may also provide a phytochemical basis for some of the effects that these herbal preparation have on brain function and neuroprotection. Most of the currect knowledge about CNS-active plants of cultural and traditional importance arose from ethnobotanical and ethnopharmaceutical uses, as for other natural active ingredients. Moreover, for a sutitable neuroprotective agent, a very important property regards it ability to cross the blood-brain barrier(BBB) in order to reach the neurons in the neigrostriatum. Finally, though the presence of receptors or transporters for phytochemicals in brain tissues remains to be ascertained and compounds with multiple targets appear as a potential and promising class of therapeutics for the treatment of Parkinsonism.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Cymbopogon Flexuosus ; Lemongrass Oil ; Rotenone-Induced ; Parkinsonism ; Rats |
| Subjects: | PHARMACY > Pharmacology |
| Depositing User: | Ravindran C |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Dec 2017 02:00 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Dec 2017 02:00 |
| URI: | http://repository-tnmgrmu.ac.in/id/eprint/4813 |
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