Abstract

Excessive consumption of fluoride through drinking water or other sources lead to skeletal and dental fluorosis. According to the world health organization 23 nations are facing the problem of fluorosis. In the recent past researchers describe the non-skeletal fluorosis where soft tissues and major organs are the victims of fluoride toxicity. Hence in the present study we attempted to investigate the structural changes in various brain areas followed by fluoride exposure and to explore the protective effect of ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba against fluoride neurotoxicity. Animals were randomly divided into five groups. Control animals received ordinary water; fluoride animals received fluoride water; all the other animals in the study received gum acacia, ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba for first 15 days followed by the fluoride water for 30 days. The present experiment showed fluoride caused neurodegeneration in the form of dark, pyknotic neurons could be apoptosis/ necrosis. However the neurodegeneration is less severe in the ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba treated animals. Hence the ascorbic acid and Ginkgo biloba may help as alternate therapeutic strategy to treat fluorosis victims.

Keywords: Fluorosis, Ascorbic acid, Ginkgo biloba, Hippocampus, Amygdala, Motor cortex, Neurotoxicity

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