Affiliation:
1. Afe Babalola University
2. ABUAD: Afe Babalola University
3. Ekiti State University
Abstract
Abstract
The neurotoxic properties of aluminum (Al) have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in exploring how bioactive compounds from functional foods can mitigate the detrimental impact of this redox metal in AD. Hence, this study evaluated neuromodulatory effects of caffeine, vanillin and their combination on some hippocampal biochemical parameters in AlCl3-induced AD. Thirty-six (36) adult male Wistar rats (150–200 g) were randomly divided into 6 treatment groups of 6 rats each. Animals were exposed to AlCl3 (100 mg/kg body weight, bw) orally at a single dose to induce AD. Experimental AlCl3-induced animals were administered with 50 mg/kg bw caffeine, vanillin and their combination for 21 days with donepezil (10 mg/kg bw) as control. However, following the 21 days treatment with 50 mg/kg caffeine, vanillin and their combination, a noticeable significant (p < 0.05) decrease was observed in the hippocampal ENTPDase activity with a concomitant increase significantly (p < 0.05) in eNTDase activity, respectively. Also, a significant (p < 0.05) reduction was evident in the hippocampal relative mRNA gene levels of eNOS, AChE and β-amyloid protein with no significant difference in the expression of GABA receptor protein in some treatment groups compared to untreated AlCl3-induced control group. Similarly, hippocampal architecture revealed restoration of dentate gyrus with an increased granular cell counts after the 21 days of treatment. Thus, according to our findings, the ability of caffeine, vanillin and their combination to modulate hippocampal purinergic system and expressions of some vital proteins in AlCl3-induced AD could possibly be a potential therapy in the management of AD.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC