European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

INTERFERENCE OF BRAIN OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS PROFILE AND AMNESTIC TENDENCY IN WISTAR RATS TREATED WITH DOSES OF CANNABIS SATIVA LEAVES

*Olorunfemi O. J., Bohr E.L. and Wogu E.U.

ABSTRACT

The uncontrolled repeated use of Cannabis sativa remains a challenge for the potential medical usefulness of the plant. Cannabis being a psychoactive substance with different physiological properties, the onset and extent of its effects are often a factor of the mode of consumption. This present study is aimed at investigating the effects of daily oral ingestion of C. sativa on spatial memory and its changes in oxidative stress marker activities in wistar rats. Twenty-five albino wistar rats were acclimated to laboratory condition for fourteen days, following which they were separated into 5 groups of 5 animals each. Group I were used as control receiving only distilled water orally, Group II-IV were administered with 0.1ml, 0.2ml and 0.3ml cannabis via oral route respectively for 21days, while group V animals were administered with epinephrine. Cognitive activities were assessed using Passive Avoidance test, Barnes maze test and Navigation maze test. The brain oxidative stress markers that were used to determine stress activities include Superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde. Results obtained were analyzed and some activities were statistically significant in comparison to the control group. Cannabis significantly (p< 0.05) decreased the activity of Superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde and an increase in catalase activity when compared to the control. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the animals that were administered with cannabis displayed significantly reduced anxiety, increased stress and impairment of memory compared to the control. Observations from the result shows that cannabis modulated appreciable oxidative stress tendencies due to increase in reactive oxygen species production characterized of stress.

Keywords: Cannabis sativa, memory, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, malondialdehyde.