scholarly journals Protective Effects of Centella asiatica on Cognitive Deficits Induced by D-gal/AlCl3 via Inhibition of Oxidative Stress and Attenuation of Acetylcholinesterase Level

Toxics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samaila Chiroma ◽  
Mohamad Baharuldin ◽  
Che Mat Taib ◽  
Zulkhairi Amom ◽  
Saravanan Jagadeesan ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with cholinergic dysfunctions and impaired redox homeostasis. The plant Centella asiatica (CA) is renowned for its nutritional benefits and herbal formulas for promoting health, enhancing cognition, and its neuroprotective effects. The present study aims to investigate the protective role of CA on D-gal/AlCl3-induced cognitive deficits in rats. The rats were divided into six groups and administered with donepezil 1 mg/kg/day, CA (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg/day) and D-gal 60 mg/kg/day + AlCl3 200 mg/kg/day for 10 weeks. The ethology of the rats was evaluated by the Morris water maze test. The levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), phosphorylated tau (P-tau), malondialdehyde (MDA) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, the ultrastructure of the prefrontal cortex of the rats’ was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Rats administered with D-gal/AlCl3 exhibited cognitive deficits, decreased activities of SOD, and marked increase in AChE and MDA levels. Further, prominent alterations in the ultrastructure of the prefrontal cortex were observed. Conversely, co-administration of CA with D-gal/AlCl3 improved cognitive impairment, decreased AChE levels, attenuated the oxidative stress in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, and prevented ultrastructural alteration of neurons in the prefrontal cortex. Irrespective of the dose of CA administered, the protective effects were comparable to donepezil. In conclusion, this study suggests that CA attenuated the cognitive deficits in rats by restoring cholinergic function, attenuating oxidative stress, and preventing the morphological aberrations.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Zijuan Zhang ◽  
Li Hao ◽  
Ming Shi ◽  
Ziyang Yu ◽  
Simai Shao ◽  
...  

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) is a peptide hormone derived from the proglucagon gene expressed in the intestines, pancreas and brain. Some previous studies showed that GLP-2 improved aging and Alzheimer’s disease related memory impairments. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, and to date, there is no particular medicine reversed PD symptoms effectively. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate neuroprotective effects of a GLP-2 analogue in the 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) PD mouse model. Methods: In the present study, the protease resistant Gly(2)-GLP-2 (50 nmol/kg ip.) analogue has been tested for 14 days by behavioral assessment, transmission electron microscope, immunofluorescence histochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot in an acute PD mouse model induced by MPTP. For comparison, the incretin receptor dual agonist DA5-CH was tested in a separate group. Results: The GLP-2 analogue treatment improved the locomotor and exploratory activity of mice, and improved bradykinesia and movement imbalance of mice. Gly(2)-GLP-2 treatment also protected dopaminergic neurons and restored tyrosine hydroxylase expression levels in the substantia nigra. Gly(2)-GLP-2 furthermore reduced the inflammation response as seen in lower microglia activation, and decreased NLRP3 and interleukin-1β pro-inflammatory cytokine expression levels. In addition, the GLP-2 analogue improved MPTP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the substantia nigra. The protective effects were comparable to those of the dual agonist DA5-CH. Conclusion: The present results demonstrate that Gly(2)-GLP-2 can attenuate NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation and mitochondrial damage in the substantia nigra induced by MPTP, and Gly(2)-GLP-2 shows neuroprotective effects in this PD animal model.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-he Liu ◽  
Hong-guang Chen ◽  
Pan-feng Wu ◽  
Qing Yao ◽  
Hong-ke Cheng ◽  
...  

Objective. The effects of Flos Puerariae extract (FPE) on cognitive impairment associated with diabetes were assessed in C57BL/6J mice.Methods. Experimental diabetic mice model was induced by one injection of 50 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) for 5 days consecutively. FPE was orally administrated at the dosages of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/day, respectively. The learning and memory ability was assessed by Morris water maze test. Body weight, blood glucose, free fatty acid (FFA) and total cholesterol (TCH) in serum, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in cerebral cortex and hippocampus were also measured.Results. Oral administration of FPE significantly improved cognitive deficits in STZ-induced diabetic mice. FPE treatment also maintained body weight and ameliorated hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in diabetic mice. Additionally, decreased MDA level, enhanced CAT, and GSH-Px activities in cerebral cortex or hippocampus, as well as alleviated AChE activity in cerebral cortex, were found in diabetic mice supplemented with FPE.Conclusion. This study suggests that FPE ameliorates memory deficits in experimental diabetic mice, at least partly through the normalization of metabolic abnormalities, ameliorated oxidative stress, and AChE activity in brain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Kai Ren ◽  
Buying Li ◽  
Liqing Jiang ◽  
Zhiheng Liu ◽  
Fan Wu ◽  
...  

Background. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common cardiovascular disease with high disability and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in the pathomechanism of multiple human diseases, including AMI. This study intended to explore the function and working mechanism of a novel circRNA circ_0023461 in hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes. Methods. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot assay were implemented to detect RNA and protein expression. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay and 5-ethynyl-2 ′ -deoxyuridine (Edu) assay were conducted to analyze cell viability and proliferation ability. Cell migration and apoptosis were assessed by Transwell assay and flow cytometry. Cell oxidative stress was analyzed using the commercial kits. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to analyze cell inflammation. Cell glycolytic metabolism was evaluated using the commercial kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay were conducted to verify the intermolecular interactions. Results. circ_0023461 expression was upregulated in AMI patients and hypoxia-induced AC16 cells. Hypoxia restrained the viability, proliferation, migration, and glycolysis and induced the apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation of AC16 cells, and these effects were attenuated by the silence of circ_0023461. MicroRNA-370-3p (miR-370-3p) was verified as a target of circ_0023461, and circ_0023461 silencing-mediated protective effects in hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes were partly alleviated by the knockdown of miR-370-3p. miR-370-3p interacted with the 3 ′ untranslated region (3 ′ UTR) of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D), and PDE4D overexpression partly reversed miR-370-3p overexpression-induced protective effects in hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes. circ_0023461 can upregulate PDE4D expression by acting as a molecular sponge for miR-370-3p in AC16 cells. Conclusion. circ_0023461 knockdown attenuated hypoxia-induced dysfunction in AC16 cells partly by targeting the miR-370-3p/PDE4D axis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taiwo A. Abayomi

Background: Consumption of a healthy diet abundant in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, offers an effective and least expensive way to prevent neurodegeneration. Herein, the role of Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) enriched diet in chronic stress-induced cerebellar neuropathology was investigated Methodology: Twenty-one male Wistar rats were used for this investigation. Rats were randomly assigned into three groups (A, B, and C), each consisting of 7 rats (n = 7). Group A (Control group) were fed control diet; group B rats were subjected to different chronic unpredictable stressors (CUS) + control diet for 21 days, while group C rats were subjected to CUS + Walnut-enriched diet for 21 days. Serum corticosterone levels, the expression level of antioxidant and inflammatory markers, and cytoarchitectural changes in cerebellum were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) immunohistochemistry methods. Results: The walnut-enriched diet prevented astrogliosis, modulated serum corticosterone expression, and tumor necrotic factor-α in the cerebellum. The walnut-enriched diet also caused an improvement in the antioxidant profile, indicating that it suppressed chronic unpredictable stress-induced perturbations. Conclusion: Our results suggest that African walnut exerts protective effects against oxidative stress-driven dysfunction by reducing serum corticosterone levels, modulating oxidative stress pathways, and preventing neuronal morphological damage in the cerebellum.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayate Javed ◽  
Sheikh Azimullah ◽  
MF Meeran ◽  
Suraiya Ansari ◽  
Shreesh Ojha

Parkinson’s disease (PD), a multifactorial movement disorder that involves progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal system affecting the movement ability of the patient. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation both are shown to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of PD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of thymol, a dietary monoterpene phenol in rotenone (ROT)-induced neurodegeneration in rats that precisely mimics PD in humans. Male Wistar rats were injected ROT at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight for 4 weeks, to induce PD. Thymol was co-administered for 4 weeks at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight, 30 min prior to ROT injection. The markers of dopaminergic neurodegeneration, oxidative stress and inflammation were estimated using biochemical assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting and immunocytochemistry. ROT challenge increased the oxidative stress markers, inflammatory enzymes and cytokines as well as caused significant damage to nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of the brain. Thymol treatment in ROT challenged rats appears to significantly attenuate dopaminergic neuronal loss, oxidative stress and inflammation. The present study showed protective effects of thymol in ROT-induced neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration mediated by preservation of endogenous antioxidant defense networks and attenuation of inflammatory mediators including cytokines and enzymes.


Author(s):  
Birsen Ozyurt ◽  
Huseyin Ozyurt ◽  
Nusret Akpolat ◽  
Hasan Erdogan ◽  
Mustafa Sarsilmaz

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1007-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasiara Karim ◽  
Haroon Khan ◽  
Imran Khan ◽  
Ouyang Guo ◽  
Eduardo Sobarzo-Sánchez ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, with approximately 29 million older people suffering from this disease worldwide. This number is expected to become triple by 2050. AD is a complex and multifactorial neurodegenerative condition, characterized by complex pathology including oxidative stress, formation of aggregates of amyloid and tau, enhanced immune responses, metal deposition and disturbances in cholinesterase enzymes. There is no effective pharmacological treatment for combating the disease to date. The ineffectiveness of current pharmacological interventions in AD has led scientists to search for more safe and effective alternative therapeutic agents. Thus, natural products have become an important avenue for drug discovery in AD research. In this regard, polyphenols are natural products that have been shown to be effective in the modulation of the type of neurodegenerative changes seen in AD, suggesting a possible therapeutic role. The present review focuses on the chemistry of polyphenols, clinical studies for evaluating polyphenols as effective alternatives in AD treatment, cellular and molecular aspects of polyphenols in improving cognitive deficits and the current challenges and futuristic approaches to use polyphenols as safe and effective therapeutic agents in AD treatment.


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