Effect of Borage Seed Oil Against Lead Acetate Neurotoxicity in Rats

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that has long been widely used in industry, agriculture, and the cosmetics sector. It also poses serious public health risks due to its tendency to accumulate in the body and to induce pronounced neurotoxicity, particularly by damaging the central nervous system via oxidative stress–mediated mechanisms. In the present study, the biochemical effects of lead acetate-induced neurotoxicity and the potential protective role of borage seed oil (Borago oil, BSO), known for its high medicinal and nutritional value, were evaluated in the brain tissue of rats by assessing oxidative stress parameters. A total of 30 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. Neurotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal administration of lead acetate at a dose of 20 mg/kg for 7 consecutive days. Borage oil was administered orally at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for 14 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the rat brain tissue were measured using manual biochemical method, while the expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined by RT-PCR. Collectively, these findings indicate that borage seed oil partially alleviated Pb- associated oxidative stress alterationsin brain tissue, as evidenced by reduced lipid peroxidation (decreased MDA; p