_{<strong>NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF GARCINIA KOLA EXTRACT ON THE BRAIN OF WISTAR RATS FOLLOWING ISCHEMIC REPERFUSION INJURY USING BILATERAL COMMON CAROTID ARTERY</strong>}

Stroke is one of the most common and silent causes of mortality and morbidity in the world. Prevention and effective treatment of stroke is now of utmost importance. Hence, this research focuses on understanding how Garcinia kola extract (Bitter kola) a plant seed widely used in traditional medicine for its therapeutic properties, can exhibit its neuroprotective properties on the brain of female Wistar rats following ischemic stroke. This study provides in-depth into how the administration of Garcinia kola (Bitter kola) mitigated the detrimental effects occasioned by ischemic stroke on the brain of female Wistar rats.Results indicated amelioration of 2-VO ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced neuronal cells dysfunction by bitter kola (Garcinia kola) extract pre-administration on the hippocampus, visual cortex and frontal cortex of the Wistar rats and also attenuated I/R-induced decrease in enzymatic antioxidant due to ROS in the brain, it brought about significant remarkable correction in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), lipid peroxidation (decreased)and Glutathione (GSH) by increasing their activities, also the reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) activities in the brain.It can be concluded that the administration of Garcinia kola extract improved the effect of ischemic stroke on the brain of Wistar rat. The therapeutic properties of Garcia kola extract are multifaceted; therefore, it can be explored in further studies for treatment of ischemic stroke.