teca and Weight-Loss

Radiations are known to cause behavioural perturbations like conditioned taste aversion (CTA), performance decrement, learning, etc., even at very low doses. The manifestation of radiation-induced behavioural degradation has not been understood well and requires further studies. Therefore, the effects of low-dose whole-body 60Co gamma-irradiation in male rats were studied in terms of body weight and CTA learning. For CTA, the consumption of saccharin solution was considered as a parameter. To protect against the adverse effects of radiation, Centella asiatica (aqueous extract) was tested and compared with ondansetron, a standard antiemetic drug. A dose of 2 Gy incurred significant body weight loss [t(9)=9.00, P<.05] and induced CTA in rats [t(26)=9.344, P<.01]. Administration of C. asiatica (100 mg/kg bw ip, 2 Gy, -1 h) rendered significant radioprotection against radiation-induced body weight loss and CTA that became evident on the second postirradiation day [t(7)=0.917, P>>.05; t(7)=4.016, P>.05]. Ondansetron (1 mg/kg bw) elicited higher degree of protection against CTA [t(7)=3.641, P>.05] than C. asiatica [t(7)=7.196, P>.05] on the first postirradiation day, but on the second postirradiation day, both were equally effective [t(7)=3.38, P>.05; t(7)=4.01, P>.05]. In case of C. asiatica-treated animals, however, there was a consistently declining CTA from the second to the fifth postirradiation day whereas in ondansetron-treated animals it was inconsistent. Present investigation suggests that C. asiatica could be useful in preventing radiation-induced behavioural changes during clinical radiotherapy.

Topics: Animals; Avoidance Learning; Cobalt Radioisotopes; Conditioning, Classical; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Male; Ondansetron; Radiation-Protective Agents; Radioisotope Teletherapy; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Taste; Triterpenes; Weight Loss; Whole-Body Irradiation