Abir Bacha, Mona Alonazi, Enas Aljehani, Altaf Alabdali, Ramesa Bhat, Mohammed Almuayrifi, Habib Horchani and Afaf El-Ansary
Background and Objective: Luteolin, the most powerful and pleiotropic flavonoids significantly reverses the effects of oxidative stress and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to investigate its protective and therapeutic effects on brain intoxication induced by propionic acid (PPA) in male albino rats. Materials and Methods: Fifty neonates (~21 days old, 80-100 g) male albino rats were randomly assigned to five groups: Control, the PPA-treated, luteolin-treated, the protective and the therapeutic groups. A panel of antioxidants, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and mitochondrial dysfunction markers were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits in brain homogenates of all tested groups. Results: The data demonstrated luteolin’s therapeutic and protective efficacy by improving specific biochemical indicators compared to the PPA-treated and control groups. The PPA treatment showed an increase in oxidative stress markers such as lipid peroxidation, coupled with increased catalase activity and glutathione-S-transferase with a decrease in non-enzymatic antioxidants such as glutathione and vitamin C. Furthermore, caspase-3 level decreased as a mitochondrial dysfunction biomarker, whereas glucose-regulated protein 78 level, as an ER stress marker did not demonstrate a significant difference compared to PPA-treated or control groups. Conclusion: Current findings suggest that PPA caused neurotoxicity-associated oxidative stress while luteolin was neuroprotective and neurotherapeutic, making it a potential candidate for ER therapy as an etiology of neurological illnesses among which is autism spectrum disorders.
Abir Bacha, Mona Alonazi, Enas Aljehani, Altaf Alabdali, Ramesa Bhat, Mohammed Almuayrifi, Habib Horchani and Afaf El-Ansary, 2024. Luteolin Ameliorating Effects of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in an ASD Rodent Model. International Journal of Pharmacology, 20: 1479-1487.