Analysis of the Effects of Phyllanthus emblica (Amloki) Fruit on Colchicine Induced Memory Deficit and Hippocampal Oxidative Stress in Male Long-Evans Rats

Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of several serious diseases, such as inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders, liver cirrhosis, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, cataracts, diabetes, and cancer. Compounds that can effectively scavenge free radicals possess significant potential for improving these diseases. This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of the ethanolic extract of Phyllanthus emblica (EEPE) on memory and oxidative stress in the hippocampus induced by colchicine in male Long-Evans rats. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted at KM Fariduddin Animal Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Bangladesh Medical University (BMU). Here total 24 male Long-Evans rats were divided into 4 groups (6 rats/group). Based on treatments these were normal control (NC), sham control (SC), colchicine control (ColC), pre colchicine PE (Pre PE Exp). For evaluation of memory performance specially reference memory (RM), Morris water maze (MWM) test [Mean escape latency (EL) in acquisition phase, number of target crossing (TC) and time spent in target (TT) in probe trial] was done. Then, after sacrifice, hippocampal tissue was collected for estimation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) to assess oxidative stress status. The statistical analysis was done by one way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc test where p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: In this study, RM performance colchicine caused significantly higher mean EL (p<0.001) in acquisition as well as significantly (p<0.001) lower TC and TT in ColC rats in comparison to those SC rats. In contrast, significantly lower mean EL (p<0.001) in acquisition phase along with significantly higher TC and TT (p<0.001) were found in Pre PE Exp rats, than those of ColC rats. ColC rats exhibited significantly higher MDA levels (p<0.001) and significantly lower GPx activity (p<0.001) compared to SC rats. However, pre-colchicine PE (Pre PE Exp) groups of rats showed significantly (p<0.01) lower MDA as well as significantly higher (p<0.05) GPx in comparison to those of ColC rats. Moreover, when we compared all these memory and oxidative stress variables between our experimental and NC rats, they were statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Phyllanthus emblica (Amloki) can improve colchicine induced forgetfulness and intrahippocampal oxidative stress in male Long-Evans rats.

Eastern Med Coll J. January 2026 Vol.11 No.1 : 47-54