THE EFFECT OF HESPIRIDIN ON THE OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS-INDUCED PTSD WISTAR RATS

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is another psychiatric illness that has been associated with oxidative stress, which is an imbalance and moderation between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant compounds present in the body. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of hesperidin on the oxidative stress markers of PTSD induced in albino Wistar rats. Thirty albino wister adult male rats were randomly divided into six groups; control group, stress only group, stress and treatment with10mg/kg of fluoxetine, and stress and treatment with hesperidin at dose 50mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200mg/kg respectively. The single prolonged stress model was used to establish PTSD, and hesperidin was given for 14 days. Using neurobehavioral tests, anxiety and depression was evaluated, while biochemical tests determined the level of oxidative stress which included superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT). The result of the present study showed that PTSD exposure significantly increased the SOD level of the stress group when compare with normal control (31.084+0.79) and standard drug (29.0110.07). However, following the administration of hesperidin at low (29.0140.16), medium (31.14+0.58) and high doses (30.84.22+0.19), the mean level of SOD was down-regulated significantly. Control and fluoxetine groups show the highest Catalase activity, while the stress-only group has the lowest levels. The study found that hesperidin acts favorably on glamour oxidation markers —antioxidants comprising SOD and CAT that helps to reduce the oxidative stress. A higher concentration of hesperidin provided enhanced amelioration of neurotoxicity, revealing that the action of hesperidin on neurotoxicity was dose-dependent. The results presented in this work suggest that hesperidin may be effective in regulating oxidative stress in PTSD. Further research is recommended to explore hesperidin's long-term effects and clinical applicability in human PTSD treatment. Keywords: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Hesperidin, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT).