Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Properties of Yellow Leaf Extract of Terminalia Catappa In Sleep-Deprived Rats

Sleep deprivation is increasingly recognized as a public health issue linked to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration due to oxidative stress. This study explores the neuroprotective potential of yellow leaf extract of Terminalia catappa (T. catappa) in a rat model of sleep deprivation. Samples were obtained from oke ado akintola area in Ogbomoso, Southwestern, Nigeria. It was washed, air dried and pulverized. Extraction was done using ethanol, the extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator. 35 female wistar rats were used, which were acclimatized for 2 weeks and different dosages of extracts were administered for 2 weeks. The rats were divided into five groups: Group I (control), Group II (sleep-deprived untreated), Group III (sleep deprived + Vitamin C), Group IV (sleep-deprived + 100mg/kg of T. catappa extract) and Group V (sleep-deprived + 200mg/kg of T. catappa extract). Sleep was induced in rats using Modified Multi-Platform Method (MMPM) and was sacrificed using cervical dislocation; the brain tissue was collected for assay. Biochemical assays revealed that T. catappa caused significant biochemical changes. It decreases level of Acetylcholinesterase (AchE), Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), Malondialdehyde (MDA), and Nitric oxide (NO). Concurrently, it increases levels of Serotonin, Glutathione (GSH), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD). These findings suggest T. catappa yellow leaf extract as a potent neuroprotective agent with therapeutic promise in oxidative stress-related neural conditions.