Abstract

Background: Tamarindus indica (TI) extract is known to possess important phytochemical composition. The study aimed to assess the effects of ethyl acetate fraction of TI leaves (EATI) on memory and learning, traced element and brain sialic acid levels, and hippocampal Nissl substance expression following prenatal (PN) AlCl 3 exposure in Wistar rat pups. Methods: Pregnant rats were divided into 5 groups ( n = 4); Group I received distilled water (negative control), Group II-V were experimental groups treated with 200 mg/kg of AlCl 3 . Group II (positive control), Groups III, and IV received 400 mg kg − 1 and 800 mg kg − 1 of EATI, respectively, and Group V received 300 mg kg − 1 of Vitamin E (comparatively control) for 2 weeks (PN day 7–21). On postnatal (PoN) day 19, male pups were subjected to novel object recognition test ( n = 5). Some pups were euthanized on PoN days 7 and 21; and samples were collected for quantification of trace element ( n = 5), brain sialic acid concentration ( n = 5), and Nissl staining using cresyl fast ( n = 3). Results: The results of the trace elements quantification on PoN days 7 and 21 revealed significantly lower mean copper, zinc, and iron, and significantly higher calcium level in the group treated with 400 and 800 mg kg − 1 of EATI when compared with the positive control group. EATI at a dose of 800 mg kg − 1 showed improvement in memory and increased brain sialic acid. EATI 400 mg kg − 1 increased only free sialic acid and had no effect on memory. Improvement in Nissl staining was observed in the EATI treated group on PoN day 7 and 21. Conclusion: The administration of EATI ameliorated AlCl 3 -induced neural toxicity.