Mucuna pruriens Seed Extract: a Possible Protective Agent Against Ochratoxin A Neurodegeneration

Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., Fabaceae, an herbal phytomedicine used in Indian traditional Ayurvedic medicinal concoctions, is known to mediate neurodegeneration. Hydroalcoholic-soluble extracts from seeds were studied to determine their protective potential against ochratoxin A–promoted neurodegeneration. The seed extract was subjected to liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry analysis to identify its bioactive compounds. Ochratoxin A, a widely known mycotoxin food contaminant and identified as being a potent neurotoxin even at low doses, was examined for its neurodegenerative influence. The seed extract and its major bioactive constituent L -dopa were further studied to understand their neuroprotective potential against ochratoxin A–induced oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial membrane potential disruption, nuclear damage and neuronal stress in Neuro-2a cells. The locomotive dysfunction caused by ochratoxin A exposure was studied by examining a battery of behavioural abnormality tests, imbalance in neurotransmitter levels, brain antioxidant status and oxidative stress indices. It was evidenced in the current study that seed extract and L -dopa have the potential to ameliorate neuronal apoptosis by regulating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway and its consequence on the molecular targets forkhead box transcription factor and glycogen synthase kinase 3β, in addition to deflecting neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s caused by induced neurotoxicity. Graphical abstract