1.Auraptene has neuroprotective and memory enhancing effects in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease
Sadri Joghataee ; Mohammad Mohammad-zadeh ; Bahareh Amin ; Faranak Jafari ; Mahdi Tondar ; Omid Gholami
Neurology Asia 2020;25(3):353-360
Background: Auraptene is a simple coumarin that exhibits multiple protective activities in the
brain. Alzheimer’s disease is a complex, multifactorial, and progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Microinjection of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) into the hippocampus of rat has been recognized as a
reliable and stable animal model of Alzheimer’s disease, which mimics the memory deficits. In the
present study, the memory enhancing effects of auraptene were studied in rats that Aβ was injected
into their hippocampus to create a model of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Different doses of
auraptene (5, 10 and 25 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally to male Wistar rats. The spatial
memory performance was tested by Morris water maze after Alzheimer`s induction. The hippocampal
expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were calculated for evaluating the
neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of Auraptene in the brain tissue. Results: In comparison
with the control group, auraptene significantly decreased the escape latency time in the treated rats. In
addition, auraptene increased the percentage of time spent and traveled pathway in the target quadrant.
Molecular data showed that auraptene attenuated the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the hippocampus of rats.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated the memory enhancing effect of Aur after Aβ injection, which
could be through inhibiting the apoptotic pathways in the hippocampus of rats.