ABSTRACT
Introduction: Alzheimer is a neurodegenerative disease which is characterized by progressive memory loss, diminished cognitive ability and behavioral disturbances such as anxiety-like behaviors. Quercetin is a polyphenolic compound with antioxidant and neuroprotective effects
Objective: purpose of this study is evaluated anxiolytic effect of quercetin and its nanocrystal in model of Alzheimer's disease
Methods: in this experimental study, forty-nine male rats were randomly divided into seven groups, as follows: control group [intact rats], vehicle [received distilled water orally and intrcerebroventricullary], disease [received 10microg/rat STZ intracerebroventricularly and distilled water orally] and disease treated groups [received quercetin and its nanocrystal at doses of 10 and 25 mg/kg/day orally for four weeks after injection of STZ]. Elevated plus maze [EPM] test was used to assess anxiety-like behaviors
Results: results indicated that icv-STZ injection significantly decrease percent of open arm times [%OAT] and percent of open arm enters [%OAE] in the EPM test [P<0.001] and treatment with the quercetin and its nanocrystal significantly increased these behavioral indexes in the end of third and fourth weeks [P<0.001]. Furthermore, treatment with quercetin nanocrystal increased %OAT and %OAE more than the quercetin
Conclusion: this study showed the protective effect of quercetin and its nanocrystal in the prevention of anxiogenic-like behaviors induced by Alzheimer's model of rat and treatment with quercetin nanocrystal was more effective than quercetin