Cerebroprotective Effect of Polybion against Radiation and Cadmium Induced Changes in the Swiss Albino Mice

The brain is highly vulnerable to environmental toxicants such as ionizing radiation and cadmium, both of which can induce severe neurodegenerative alterations through oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuronal cell death. Radiation exposure damages neural stem cells and disrupts neurogenesis, while cadmium accumulates in brain tissues and promotes oxidative injury and mitochondrial dysfunction. Since antioxidant therapy has shown promise in reducing neurotoxicity, the present study was designed to evaluate the neuroprotective efficacy of Polybion, a B-complex multivitamin formulation, against radiation- and cadmium-induced brain damage in Swiss albino mice. Male Swiss albino mice were divided into different experimental groups including sham control, cadmium-treated, irradiated, combined radiation and cadmium-treated, and Polybion-pretreated groups. Animals were exposed to gamma radiation doses of 2.0 Gy and 4.0 Gy, with cadmium chloride administered orally at 20 ppm. Polybion syrup was given orally at a dose of 0.01 ml/animal/day for seven days prior to treatment and continued until the completion of the experiment. Animals were autopsied at 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 28 days post-treatment, and brain tissues were subjected to histopathological evaluation. Histological observations revealed significant neurotoxic alterations in radiation- and cadmium-exposed groups, including pycnotic nuclei, cytoplasmic vacuolation, necrosis, hemorrhage, hydrocephaly, malformed corpus callosum, venous congestion, and disruption of normal cytoarchitecture. Combined exposure to radiation and cadmium produced more severe and synergistic damage compared to individual treatments. Higher radiation doses showed greater tissue injury and delayed recovery. However, Polybion-treated groups demonstrated reduced histopathological damage, decreased neuronal degeneration, and earlier recovery at all observation intervals. The protective effect of Polybion may be attributed to its antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, which help reduce oxidative stress and support cellular repair mechanisms. The findings of the present study suggest that Polybion possesses significant neuroprotective potential against radiation- and cadmium-induced brain injury and may serve as a beneficial therapeutic supplement for minimizing neurotoxicity caused by environmental and radiation-related hazards.