Madhunika Agrawal, Yamini P, Kanwaljit Chopra and Seema Bansal
The present study was designed to explore the neuroprotective efficacy of a promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, phycobiliprotein (PB) against intracerebroventricular (ICV) streptozotocin (STZ) induced cognitive impairment in rats. STZ (3 mg/kg) was introduced in rats??? brains on 1st and 3rd day bilaterally, followed by treatment with PB or rivastigmine for 28 days. Estimation of alteration in the behaviour of treated and untreated group of rats were done by Morris water maze, elevated plus maze and open field test. Afterwards, rats were sacrificed, and brains were harvested for the evaluation of various biochemical parameters in post mitochondrial supernatant fractions of cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The levels of several oxidative stress (SOD, CAT, LPO) and inflammatory (TNF-?, NF-?B) biomarkers activity were analyzed towards acetylchoinesterase and was also investigated by ChAT assay. The amelioration of ICV-STZ induced spatial learning and memory impairment by PB could be associated partially to the down regulation of NF-?B activity and the mitigation of expression of neuroinflammatory cytokines, along with modulation of cholinesterase, suggesting that PB may be explored further as a potent candidate for Alzheimer???s disease therapy.
