scholarly journals Withania somnifera showed neuroprotective effect and increase longevity in Drosophila Alzheimer’s disease model

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mardani Abdul Halim ◽  
Izzah Madihah Rosli ◽  
Siti Shafika Muhamad Jaafar ◽  
Hoi-Min Ooi ◽  
Pui-Wei Leong ◽  
...  

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease and is only unique to human. The disease is defined in human brain by the accumulation of amyloid beta in the parenchyma of the brain. Withania somnifera, commonly known as Ashwagandha is an Indian Ayurvedic medicine that has been used for centuries to treat countless range of human health problem. The active compound of Ashwagandha was shown to be beneficial in treating many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, Drosophila melanogaster AD model was used to study the effect of Ashwagandha on the toxicity of beta amyloid and also the longevity effect of the compound. We found that 20 mg/mL of Ashwagandha was shown to be effective in rescuing the “rough eye phenotype” of AD Drosophila. Furthermore, Ashwagandha also promotes longevity in AD as well as wild-type Drosophila. The results above showed that Ashwagandha could potentially be a potent drug to treat AD as well as maintaining the wellbeing of cells.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Jose Fernandez-Valenzuela ◽  
Raquel Sanchez-Varo ◽  
Clara Muñoz-Castro ◽  
Vanessa De Castro ◽  
Elisabeth Sanchez-Mejias ◽  
...  

Abstract In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and other tauopathies, microtubule destabilization compromises axonal and synaptic integrity contributing to neurodegeneration. These diseases are characterized by the intracellular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau leading to neurofibrillary pathology. AD brains also accumulate amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposits. However, the effect of microtubule stabilizing agents on Aβ pathology has not been assessed so far. Here we have evaluated the impact of the brain-penetrant microtubule-stabilizing agent Epothilone D (EpoD) in an amyloidogenic model of AD. Three-month-old APP/PS1 mice, before the pathology onset, were weekly injected with EpoD for 3 months. Treated mice showed significant decrease in the phospho-tau levels and, more interesting, in the intracellular and extracellular hippocampal Aβ accumulation, including the soluble oligomeric forms. Moreover, a significant cognitive improvement and amelioration of the synaptic and neuritic pathology was found. Remarkably, EpoD exerted a neuroprotective effect on SOM-interneurons, a highly AD-vulnerable GABAergic subpopulation. Therefore, our results suggested that EpoD improved microtubule dynamics and axonal transport in an AD-like context, reducing tau and Aβ levels and promoting neuronal and cognitive protection. These results underline the existence of a crosstalk between cytoskeleton pathology and the two major AD protein lesions. Therefore, microtubule stabilizers could be considered therapeutic agents to slow the progression of both tau and Aβ pathology.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3261
Author(s):  
Xiao Liu ◽  
Qian Zhou ◽  
Jia-He Zhang ◽  
Xiaoying Wang ◽  
Xiumei Gao ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, microglia-associated neuroinflammation, and synaptic loss. The detailed neuropathologic characteristics in early-stage AD, however, are largely unclear. We evaluated the pathologic brain alterations in young adult App knock-in model AppNL-G-F mice at 3 and 6 months of age, which corresponds to early-stage AD. At 3 months of age, microglia expression in the cortex and hippocampus was significantly decreased. By the age of 6 months, the number and function of the microglia increased, accompanied by progressive amyloid-β deposition, synaptic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and dysregulation of β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathways. The neuropathologic changes were more severe in female mice than in male mice. Oral administration of dioscin, a natural product, ameliorated the neuropathologic alterations in young AppNL-G-F mice. Our findings revealed microglia-based sex-differential neuropathologic changes in a mouse model of early-stage AD and therapeutic efficacy of dioscin on the brain lesions. Dioscin may represent a potential treatment for AD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiro Watanabe ◽  
Yoshihiro Noda ◽  
Taeko Nemoto ◽  
Kaori Iimura ◽  
Takahiko Shimizu ◽  
...  

AbstractTransient ischemia is an exacerbation factor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aimed to examine the influence of amyloid β (Aβ) deposition around the cerebral (pial) artery in terms of diameter changes in the cerebral artery during transient ischemia in AD model mice (APPNL-G-F) under urethane anesthesia. Cerebral vasculature and Aβ deposition were examined using two-photon microscopy. Cerebral ischemia was induced by transient occlusion of the unilateral common carotid artery. The diameter of the pial artery was quantitatively measured. In wild-type mice, the diameter of arteries increased during occlusion and returned to their basal diameter after re-opening. In AD model mice, the artery response during occlusion differed depending on Aβ deposition sites. Arterial diameter changes at non-Aβ deposition site were similar to those in wild-type mice, whereas they were significantly smaller at Aβ deposition site. The results suggest that cerebral artery changes during ischemia are impaired by Aβ deposition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1124 ◽  
pp. 165-172
Author(s):  
Daniela Delfino ◽  
Diana Valeria Rossetti ◽  
Claudia Martelli ◽  
Ilaria Inserra ◽  
Federica Vincenzoni ◽  
...  

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1215-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J McMillan ◽  
J B Leverenz ◽  
P Poorkaj ◽  
G D Schellenberg ◽  
D M Dorsa

Mutations in the STM2 gene cause familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Volga Germans. To understand the function of this protein and how mutations lead to AD, it is important to determine which cell types in the brain express this gene. In situ hybridization histochemistry indicates that STM2 expression in the human brain is widespread and is primarily neuronal. In addition, STM2 mRNA is expressed in a cell line with neuronal origins. Quantification of the level of expression of the STM2 message in the basal forebrain, frontal cortex, and hippocampus reveals a significant decrease in AD-affected subjects compared to normal age-matched controls. These data suggest that downregulation of neuronal STM2 gene expression may be involved in the progression of AD.


2013 ◽  
Vol 781-784 ◽  
pp. 643-646
Author(s):  
Xiao Lin ◽  
Li Yu

In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of curcumin on the expression of a-synuclein in the APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice. APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice were used as AD (Alzheimer's disease) model and fed with different concentrations of curcumin every day for 6 months, then immunohistochemistry method were used to detect the expression of a-synuclein in hippocampus of mice. The expression of a-syn in hippocampal neuron was decreased significantly after treated with 0.16g/kg to 1.0g/kg curcumin, the change was apparent in dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). a-synuclein pay an important role in the genesis and development of Alzheimer's disease and decreased level of a-synuclein might contribute to the neuroprotective effect of Curcumin, which may become a new target for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Hagmeyer ◽  
Mariana A. Romão ◽  
Joana S. Cristóvão ◽  
Antonietta Vilella ◽  
Michele Zoli ◽  
...  

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