The neuroprotective role of Nigella sativa extract on ciprofloxacin and pentylenetetrazole treated rats

This study aimed to investigate the Nigella sativa seed (NS) neuroprotective effect on ciprofloxacin (CFX) antibiotic with suggesting neurotoxic effect in rats through the determination of monoamines levels and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in different brain areas. We used valporic acid as a reference antiepileptic drug and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), a drug used for induction of epileptic model in rats. The present data revealed that the daily oral administration of NS (350 mg/kg b.wt.) for 14 days caused significant increase in the monoamines contents with no statistical difference in AChE as compare to control values. While the administration of CFX (500 mg/kg b.wt.) and/or PTZ (60 mg/kg b.wt.) was found to produce significant decrease in the concentration of monoamines and the activity of AChE in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, striatum and hippocampus after 7 and 14 days. Moreover, the pre- and post-treatment with NS in CFX and/or PTZ treated rats was found to ameliorate most of the side effects induced by these drugs. It could be concluded that the treatment with the therapeutic dose of CFX 14 days could lead to the development of seizures through the reduction of monoamines level and decreasing the activity of AChE in the tested brain areas. The administration of N. sativa pre- and the post treatment to CFX and/or PTZ treated rats were found to ameliorate their side effects. Suggesting that N. sativa seeds with antiepileptic activity and its administration could alleviate ciprofloxacin neurotoxicity.   Key words: Ciprofloxacin, Pentylenetetrazole, Nigella sativa; monoamines, acetylcholinesterase.