Cyanide is an environmental neurotoxin which has been reported to arrest the normal functioning of the brain. This study investigated the protective properties of methanol and flavonoid-rich extracts of the leaves of Spondias mombin on redox status, cholinergic dysfunction and electrolyte disturbance in cyanide-induced neurotoxicity in rats. Male Wistar rats were orally pre-treated with Spondias mombin methanol leaf extract (SMC) (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg), flavonoid-rich extract (SMF) (25, 50 and 75 mg/kg) or quercetin (20 mg/kg), followed by intraperitoneal administration of 2 mg/kg potassium cyanide. Cyanide intoxication caused brain damage in rats as echoed in the deleterious alterations to activities/levels of endogenous antioxidants and biomarkers/enzymes linked with electrolyte imbalance and neurotoxicity. Pre-treatment with SMC and SMF significantly attenuated these KCN-induced imbalances (p < 0.05). The results suggested that the protection conferred by SMC and SMF probably involves attenuation of oxidative stress and regulation of ionic homeostasis. SMF displayed a better apparent ameliorative activity than SMC and 75 mg/kg SMF offered the best protection suggesting that flavonoids probably contributed to the protective effect of Spondias mombin leaf.

氰化物是一种环境神经毒素，据报道会阻碍大脑的正常功能。本研究探讨了甲醇和富含黄酮类的海桑叶提取物对氰化物诱导的大鼠神经毒性中的氧化还原状态、胆碱能功能障碍和电解质紊乱的保护作用。雄性 Wistar 大鼠经口口服苦杏仁甲醇叶提取物 (SMC)（50、100 和 150 毫克/千克）、富含类黄酮的提取物（SMF）（25、50 和 75 毫克/千克）或槲皮素（20 毫克） /kg），然后腹腔注射2mg/kg氰化钾。氰化物中毒导致大鼠脑损伤，这与与电解质失衡和神经毒性相关的内源性抗氧化剂和生物标志物/酶的活性/水平的有害改变相呼应。SMC 和 SMF 预处理显着减弱了 KCN 引起的不平衡 ( p  < 0.05)。结果表明，SMC 和 SMF 提供的保护可能涉及氧化应激的减弱和离子稳态的调节。SMF 表现出比 SMC 更好的明显改善活性，并且 75 mg/kg SMF 提供了最好的保护作用，表明黄酮类化合物可能有助于Spondias mombin叶的保护作用。