Antioxidant role of zinc sulfate in the inhibition of lead acetate-induced cerebral toxicity in wistar rats

Abstract

Lead exerts neurotoxic effects in the nervous system via oxidative stress. Zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) is a dietary supplement with antioxidant properties. Accordingly, this study investigated the possible attenuative effects of ZnSO4 against lead-induced cerebral toxicity in Wistar rats. Forty-two Wistar rats were randomly distributed into six groups (n=7) and treated for twenty-eight days as follows:
Group A – Control; Group B – 100 mg/kg body weight (bw) of lead acetate (LA); Group C – 50 mg/kg bw of ZnSO4 and LA; Group D – 100 mg/kg bw of ZnSO4 and LA; Group E – 50 mg/kg bw of ZnSO4; Group F – 100 mg/kg bw of ZnSO4. Thereafter, neurobehavioural, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation, and histological assessments were done. The findings revealed a significantly impaired (p<0.05)
discrimination index and antioxidant enzymes activity as well as a significantly elevated (p<0.05) transfer latency and lipid peroxidation in the LA-exposed rats. Also, histological findings revealed cytoplasmic vacuolations and neuronal degeneration in the cerebral cortex of LA-exposed rats. However, these LA-induced effects were significantly attenuated in the cortex of rats pretreated with
ZnSO4. Altogether, these findings provide valuable insights into the therapeutic potential of ZnSO4 as a neuroprotective agent, thus offering hope for the development of novel neurotherapeutic strategies against lead and other heavy metals.