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Effects of black tea in mitigation of sodium fluoride potency to suppress motor activity and coordination in laboratory ratsAbstract
The present study was designed to assess the potential impact of Na-F alone or in conjugation with black tea on motor function and coordination performance in laboratory rats. An array of behavioural motor tasks, viz., open field, plank walking and rod walking tests were employed in our study in order to evaluate animals’ motor heath. Body weight gain as a performance criterion was also monitored. Eighty weanling 32-days old Wistar male rats randomly allotted to four groups of 20 animals each, were administered Na-F at 100 ppm and 2% black tea for a period of twelve weeks in a factorial pattern to constitute 4 experimental treatments. Black tea significantly improved Na-F-induced marked losses in body weight gains of rats. In the open field test, Na-F-treated rats displayed no significant changes in the levels of motor activities (horizontal locomotion) compared to control. However, fluorotic animals performed poorly in all studied motor-coordination tests. Administration of black tea to Na-F-exposed rats also significantly enhanced their motor performance and coordination ability during psychomotor testing. Concerning animals’ walking pattern, high incidence of shaky movements with unsteady gait was markedly observed in Na-F-intoxicated rats, as compared to control, confirms lacking of muscle tone and coordination. Our findings illustrate that black tea affords a profound protection against fluoride intoxication-provoked harmful effects on motor health as signified by inhibited motor activities accompanied by poor coordination proficiency in laboratory rats, and hearten to recommend for simultaneous supplementation of black tea to Na-F-jeopardized individuals in order to help mitigate fluorosis-inflicted hazards.