Effects of Alternanthera pungens Kunth (Amaranthaceae) on Cognitive and Oxidative Stress Profiles Related to Pilocarpine-induced Rat’s Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease frequently associated with cognitive and affective impairments. Despite the availability of synthetic antiseizure medications, most patients remain pharmacoresistant, prompting the need to promote novel therapeutic sources. Alternanthera pungens, used in Côte d’Ivoire as an ethnomedicine for seizure management, has not been experimentally studied. This study investigated the efficacy of a hydroethanolic extract of Alternanthera pungens in reversing oxidative stress in a rat model of pilocarpine-induced temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Status epilepticus was induced by pilocarpine (250 mg/kg, i.p.) in adult male rats, followed by diazepam (10 mg/kg, i.p.). The rats were then treated with Alternanthera pungens (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.; n=6/group) for 14 days. Cognitive performance was assessed. The oxidative stress markers malondialdehyde (MDA), non-protein thiols (NP-SH), and nitrite content were quantified in the brain tissues. Pilocarpine induced marked cognitive deficits and oxidative imbalance, as evidenced by elevated NO and MDA levels and decreased NP-SH content. The treatment with Alternanthera pungens significantly improved cognitive behavioral outcomes including spatial working memory, long-term recognition memory and spatial learning/navigation. These behavioral improvements were accompanied by reduced MDA levels and preservation of NP-SH content, while NO modulation remained region-dependent with the most pronounced effects observed at 200 mg/kg. These findings indicate that Alternanthera pungens exerts anticonvulsant and significant antioxidant-related effects in an experimental epilepsy model. It may represent a promising phytotherapeutic agent for the management of cognitive impairment related to epilepsy.