Bacopa and Drug Toxicity Avoidance

A 2002 in vitro study conducted by Sumathi, Nayeem, Balakrishna, et al using guinea pig ileum isolates examined the effect of Bacopa extract on drug-induced morphine withdrawal. naloxone-induced withdrawal effects were significantly lessened with the addition of 1,000 [micro]g/mL Bacopa extract to the tissue isolates prior to injection of morphine (Sumathi T, Nayeem M, Balakrishna K, et al. Alcoholic extract of Bacopa monniera reduces the in vitro effects of morphine withdrawal in guinea-pig ileum. J Ethnopharmacol 2002;82:75-81).

A second 2002 study examined the effect of bacopa extract on morphine-induced hepatotoxicity in rats, as measured by lipid peroxide accumulation and antioxidant enzyme levels. Lipid peroxidation was signficantly decreased while antioxidant enzymes and glutathione levels increased (Sumathy T, Govindasamy S, Balakrishna K, Veluchamy G. Protective role of Bacopa monniera on morphine-induced brain mitochondrial enzyme activity in rats. Fitoterapia 2002;73:381-385).

A 2000 study by Vohora, Pal and Pillai examined the effect of Bacopa extract on phenytoin-induced cognitive deficit. Phenytoin is a drug used to treat epilepsy. Its use been known to lead to cognitive impairment. This study, involvion mice, showed significant improvement in acquisition and retention of memory ( Vohara D, Pal SN, Pillai KK. Protection from phenytoin-induced cognitive deficitby Bacopa monniera, a reputed Indian nootropic plant. Ethnopharmacol 2000;71;383-390).

Research Abstracts

Bacopa monniera prevents from aluminium neurotoxicity in the cerebral cortex of rat brain.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Apr 20;111(1):56-62. Epub 2006 Nov 11.

* Jyoti A, * Sethi P, * Sharma D.

Neurobiology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-67, India.

Bacopa monniera is a perennial herb, and is used as a nerve tonic in ayurveda, a traditional medicinal system in India. Aluminium-induced neurotoxicity is well known and different salts of aluminium have been reported to accelerate oxidative damage to biomolecules like lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether Bacopa monniera could potentially inhibit aluminium toxicity in the cerebral cortex. Male Wister rats (8 months old) were administered with AlCl(3) orally at a dose of 50mg/kg/day in drinking water for 1 month. Experimental rats were given AlCl(3) along with Bacopa monniera extract at a dose of 40mg/kg/day. One group of rats was treated with l-deprenyl at a dose of 1mg/kg/day along with AlCl(3) treatment. We have observed that Bacopa monniera prevented accumulation of lipid and protein damage significantly, which resulted from aluminium intake. Decline in the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzymes associated with aluminium administration was also inhibited by Bacopa monniera extract. The potential of Bacopa monniera to inhibit Al-induced oxidative stress was observed to be similar to that of l-deprenyl, which was taken as standard. The potential of Bacopa monniera extract to prevent aluminium neurotoxicity was reflected at the microscopic level as well, indicative of its neuroprotective effects. These findings strongly implicate that Bacopa monniera has potential to protect brain from oxidative damage resulting from aluminium toxicity.

PMID: 17189676 [PubMed - in process]