Assessment of the Neuroprotective Effect of Rutin Hydrate Against Cisplatin-Induced Neurotoxicity on the Hippocampus of Adult Wistar Rats

AIM: To assess the effects of rutin hydrate on cisplatin-associated biochemical and histological alterations in the hippocampus of adult Wistar rats, with particular attention to the time-matched pre-treatment comparison. METHODS: Thirty adult male Wistar rats were allocated to five treatment groups. The study included a vehicle control, cisplatin-only group, post-cisplatin rutin group, pre-treatment rutin-plus-cisplatin group, and rutin-only group. Hippocampal tissues were examined by haematoxylin and eosin and Cresyl Violet staining, and SOD, MDA, SDH and LDH activities were assessed. RESULTS: The reported analyses showed significant between-group differences in SOD, MDA, SDH and LDH (all p < 0.0001) and absolute brain weight (p = 0.0011), whereas relative brain weight was not significantly different (p = 0.2544). Cisplatin-only animals showed lower SOD and SDH and higher MDA and LDH than controls. In the time-matched comparison, the pre-treatment group had higher SOD and SDH and lower MDA and LDH than cisplatin alone. The post-cisplatin group was sacrificed 15 days after cisplatin, whereas the cisplatin-only group was assessed 24 h after dosing; therefore, that comparison cannot establish post-treatment protection. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that rutin hydrate pre-treatment was associated with attenuation of several cisplatin-related biochemical alterations. The experiment does not provide a time-matched test of post-cisplatin protection, and the adverse oxidative-stress profile observed in the rutin-only group requires further verification.