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Natural antioxidants have shown a remarkable reduction in oxidative stress due to excess formation of reactive oxygen species by enhancing antioxidant mechanism in the neurodegenerative disorders. Sesame seed oil (SO) is one of the most important edible oil in India as well as in Asian countries and has potent antioxidant properties thus the present study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of SO by using 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced Parkinson's disease model in mice. The mice were fed an SO mix diet for 15 days and then 6-OHDA was injected into the right striatum of mice brain. Three weeks after 6-OHDA infusion, mice were sacrificed and the striatum was removed. The neuroprotective role of SO on the activities of antioxidant and non-antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and content of glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were studied in the striatum. The activities of all the above-mentioned enzymes decreased significantly in 6-OHDA group (Lesioned) when compared with Sham. The pretreatment of SO on antioxidant mechanism and dopamine level in the brain had shown some significant improvement in Lesion+SO (L+SO) group when compared with Lesioned group. However, NADPH oxidase subunit, Nox2 and inflammatory stimulator Cox2 expression was increased as well as antioxidant MnSOD level was decreased in Lesioned group while SO showed the inhibitory effect on the activation of Nox2 and Cox2 and restored MnSOD expression in L+SO group. Increased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in substantia nigra as well as dopamine and its metabolite DOPAC level in L+SO group also support our findings that SO may inhibit activation of NADPH oxidase dependent inflammatory mechanism due to 6-OHDA induced neurotoxicity in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to study the effect of sulphur (S) fertilization on oil biosynthesis and its related variables at various stages of seed development, and to find possible explanations for increased oil content in the seeds of mustard ( Brassica juncea L. Czern and Coss) due to S fertilization. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity and contents of oil, acetyl-CoA, soluble protein, total RNA, total sugar and sulphur were determined in the developing seeds of mustard grown in the field with sulphur (+S) and without sulphur (-S). The period between 10 to 30 days after flowering was observed as the active period of oil accumulation in the developing seeds of mustard. The accumulation of the oil was preceded by a marked rise in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity and acetyl-CoA concentration, which declined rapidly when oil accumulation reached a plateau. Total sugar content decreased, while protein content increased during the active period of oil accumulation in the developing seeds (i.e. between 10–30 days after flowering). Sulphur fertilization significantly ( P < 0.05) enhanced the oil accumulation in the developing seeds at all the growth stages. The increase in the oil content was 5–63% with S fertilization over the control treatment. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity and contents of acetyl-CoA, soluble protein, total RNA and sugar were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in the developing seeds of +S-treated plants compared to — S-treated plants. It is suggested that the increase in the oil content with sulphur fertilization may be associated with the increases in acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity through the enhancement of acetyl-CoA concentration. Further, the increased sugar content due to S fertilization provided enough carbon source and energy for oil biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]