Anxiogenic, impaired memory and motor functions due to lead-induced cerebral cortex and hippocampal injury in Wistar rat is attenuated by lauric acid

Background: The present study used lauric acid to attenuate anxiety, impaired memory and motor functions due to lead-induced cerebral cortex and hippocampal injury in wistar rat. 
Methodology: Thirty-five adult male wistar rats (150 – 200g) were divided into seven groups of experimental protocols: Food only, Pb2+ only, Noral saline + 1000mg/kg LA, (500mg/kg LA + Pb²⁺ ), (1000mg/kg LA + Pb²⁺), (2000mg/kg LA + Pb²⁺), and (0.2mg/kg Donepezil + Pb²⁺). Anxiety, impaired cognitive and motor functions were induced by oral administration of 120mg/kg of Pb²⁺ daily, for 7 days and treated with lauric acid for 14 days. Elevated plus maze, Y maze and walking beam test were performed on the animals. After the experimental period, the animals were sacrificed via cervical dislocation. Perfusion was made, and the brains were harvested, rinsed in normal saline, fixed in 10% formal saline, and subjected to histological studies. 
Results: There is a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in the percentage alternation and novel arm entry in the lauric acid post-treated groups after Pb2+ induced anxiogenic activity, impaired cognitive and motor functions when compared with the rats treated with Pb2+ without lauric acid intervention. In walking beam test, there is a statistically significant (p < 0.05) decrease in exploratory and locomotive activities of rats treated with Pb2+ when compared with the normal control and lauric acid treated. Also, there is a statistically significant (p < 0.05) decrease in open arm entry and open arm time for rats treated with lead (Pb2+) without lauric acid intervention when compared with the normal control and lauric acid intervention. The histology presents normal appearance of the neuroglial cells, with conspicuous apical and basal dendrites, and no signs of degeneration in the donepezil and lauric acid post-treated rats. 
Conclusion: There were comparable degrees of abatement as evidenced by the neurobehavioural results, normal histological appearance of the cerebral cortex and hippocampal architecture, with conspicuous apical and basal dendrites, and no signs of degeneration in the lauric acid treated rats. This indicates that lauric acid has the potential that may have restored the anxiogenic activity, cognitive and motor deficits caused by the Pb2+. Therefore, lauric acid has justified in this study that reduced anxiety, restored cognitive and motor functions may be the indication of its anxiolytic and anti-neurodegenerative properties. Meanwhile, it is worthwhile to consider this aspect at a deeper level of investigation using different animal models and methods.