Protective Effects of Tartary Buckwheat Polysaccharides on Lead-poisoned Mice
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Abstract:
The mechanism and protective effects of Tartary buckwheat polysaccharides (TBP) on lead-poisoned mice were investigated. The mice were injected intraperitoneally with 7 mg/kg lead acetate solution daily, for 8 days to produce the lead-poisoning model. After the model was established, various doses of TBP were administered via gastric infusion by different groups of mice every day from the 12th day on, as treatments for 20 consecutive days. Passive avoidance test and Morris water maze tests were used to test the abilities of learning and memory as well as spatial discrimination, respectively. Lead content in the plasma and tissue were determined by atomic spectrometry. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in tissues and plasma of the mice were determined using ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Ultrastructure of mice hippocampal neurons was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that TBP could significantly improve the learning and memory as well as spatial discrimination abilities of lead-poisoned mice and could also significantly reduce lead content in tissues and plasma. The activities of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly increased in the tissues and plasma of lead-poisoned mice, while the content of MDA was decreased. Intragastric administration of TBP for 20 consecutive days significantly improved hippocampus neuronal structure, damaged by lead poisoning. Thus, TBP could repair the damage caused by lead poisoning by enhancing antioxidase activity and scavenging free radicals.
