Title : Neuroprotective effect of melatonin on nickel-induced neurobehavioral disorders in rats: Insights into the underlying neurochemical mechanisms
Abstract:
Melatonin is recognized for its ability to regulate the body's circadian rhythms, which govern the sleep-wake cycle. However, it also possesses powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a promising candidate for mitigating the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals. Its mechanisms of action include reducing oxidative stress, attenuating neurobiological inflammation, and protecting against apoptosis induced by toxic agents such as Nickel. Herin, we investigate the neuroprotective effect of melatonin in nickel-induced neurotoxicity. Rats were treated with a short-term (10 days) intraperitoneal injection, following an intracerebroventricular injection of nickel in Wistar rats, to explore neurobehavioral changes and the mechanisms underlying nickel neurotoxicity, such as cytotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress in the hippocampus (HP), striatum (ST), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Our results show that short-term treatment with melatonin attenuates the behavioral deficits induced by intracerebroventricular injection of NiClâ‚‚. Melatonin treatment induces affective and cognitive behavioral improvements and preserves them, furthermore, melatonin reduces oxidative stress, enhances the antioxidant system, prevents cytotoxicity, and attenuates neuroinflammation throughout the brain, particularly in the PFC, ST, and HP. These results suggest that melatonin could be considered a molecule with strong preventive and therapeutic potential against the underlying mechanisms of neurotoxicity induced by heavy metals, such as nickel. Thus, it could be considered an effective therapeutic option to prevent and treat the deleterious effects of nickel-induced neurotoxicity.
Keywords: Nickel, Intracerebroventricular Injection, Melatonin, Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress.
