Abstract
Exposure to pesticides can pose a greater threat to multiple organs of nontarget animals. Cartap is a thiocarbamate pesticide, broadly used in agricultural fields. The assessment of neurotoxicity of cartap has not been properly studied in the mammalian systems. The present investigation unveils the toxic effects of cartap in the brain of Wistar rats its amelioration by using aqueous extract of
Aloe vera
leaves. We have used 4 groups of animals comprising six in each: Group 1- control, Group 2- control with
Aloe vera
, Group 3- cartap, Group 4- cartap with
Aloe vera
treated
.
After 15 days of treatment, biochemical investigations were conducted. Wistar rats orally exposed to sublethal doses of cartap, showed significant variations in the levels of prooxidants i.e. MDA and GSH (an oxidative stress marker) and enzymatic antioxidants i.e. SOD, CAT, GST, GPx. The decreased levels of CAT, SOD, GST and increased levels of GPx were detected in the experimental rats treated with cartap. The significant alterations were recorded with the declined activities of LDH and AChE, considered as the biomarker of energy metabolism and altered cholinergic function, respectively. However, the pre-administration of aqueous extract of
Aloe vera
leaves was found to markedly ameliorate the toxic effects of cartap by shielding the levels of aforesaid oxidative markers near to the control. The ameliorative impact of
Aloe vera
, might be due to the presence of several antioxidant molecules in it which were able to counter the oxidative stress generated by cartap stress. These results suggested that
Aloe vera
could be utilized as a possible supplement with the relevant therapeutics in the suitable management of cartap toxicity in association.