Effect of some medicinal plant extracts on the oxidative stress status in Alzheimer's disease induced in rats
Author: Mahdy, K., Shaker, O., Wafay, H., Nassar, Y., Hassan, H., & Hussein, A.
Source:
European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, 16(3), 31-42.
BACKGROUND/AIM, Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative
disorder. Increased oxidative stress has been
shown to be a prominent and early feature in AD.
Medicinal plants with antioxidant activities have
been used traditionally in the treatment of several
human diseases. The present study aims to investigate the effect of Salvia triloba and Piper nigrum
plant extracts on the oxidative stress status in
Alzheimer’s disease induced in rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS, 70 male rats
were enrolled in this study and were classified into 7 groups (ten each). Group 1: control group,
group 2: AD-induced rats by aluminum chloride,
and served as positive control; group 3: AD group
treated with Rivastigmine in a dose of 0.3 mg/kg b.
wt. daily for three months; group 4 & 5: AD group
treated with total extract of Salvia triloba in a dose
of 750 or 375 mg/kg b. wt. respectively, daily for
three months; group 6 & 7: AD group treated with
total extract Piper nigrum in a dose of 187.5 or
93.75 mg/kg b. wt. respectively, daily for three
months. After three months of treatment animals’
sera and brain samples were collected. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined in serum
while superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocyte.
Brain samples were divided sagitally into two portions, the first portion was separated for determination of acetylcholine (Ach) and acetycholinesterase (AchE). The second portion was
used for histopathological investigation.
RESULTS, The results indicated that extracts of
Salvia triloba and Piper nigrum as well as Rivastigmine showed significant increase in brain
Ach, serum TAC and SOD and significant decreases in brain AchE, MDA and NO in AD-induced rats. Moreover, histological investigation
of brain sections showing nearly normal histological structure of hippocampus. Treatment with
Salvia triloba in a dose of 750 mg/kg b. wt. was
more powerful in protection from Alzheimer’s disease than Piper nigrum, as indicated by both biochemical and histopathological findings.
CONCLUSION, This study revealed that the
treatment of AD-induced rats with Salvia triloba
and Piper nigrum, total plant extracts significantly reduced the oxidative stress status and ameliorates the neurodegeneration characteristic of
Alzheimer’s diseases in rats. Noteworthy, Salvia
triloba extract showed more interest in improvement Alzheimer’s disease in rats.