Aloe vera protects aluminium induced changes in brain enzyme activity of albino rats, Rattus norvegicus

The current study was carried out to investigate the protective role of Aloe vera plant extract on aluminium induced changes in brain enzymes of albino rats. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant belonging to the family –Liliaceae, which has a wide range of therapeutic applications such as wound healing, diabetes, burns, for easing intestinal, curing ulcers and arthritic swellings. 30 adult rats were taken and divided into 3 groups 10 (5+5) for each. Control group animals were fed with normal diet and water adlibitum, as Group I or control group. Group II animals were fed with normal diet and received aluminium in a dose of 98 mg/kg of body weight orally for 30 and 60 days. Group III were fed with normal diet and received aloin (100mg/kg body weight) and aluminium sulphate (98 mg/kg body weight) for 30 and 60 days. On the last day of the experiment animals were sacri! ced by cervical dislocation on 30th and 60th days respectively. Brain was removed and homogenized with 5 volume of ice cold 5mM Tris HCL ph 7.4 containing 30 mM sucrose. The results of the present study clearly indicated that aluminium sulphate has signi! cantly altered the normal levels of acetyl cholinesterase, sodium potassium ATPase and glutathione of rat brain. The levels of brain enzymes were found to be highly decreased in both the alumiuium treated groups. But in contrast to this, elevated levels of acetyl cholinesterase, sodium potassium ATPase and glutathione were noticed in aloin and aluminium sulphate co treated groups, indicating the protective role of aloin against aluminium sulphate toxicity.