ABSTRACT
Neurodegeneration in the hippocampus is a consequence of alcohol abuse which compromises the survival of the CNS tissue and its self-renewal capacity. So far, conventional drugs have not been clinically satisfactory in ameliorating neurodegeneration, therefore there has been a surge towards exploring the potentials of nutraceuticals since they mediate their action in a multi-mechanism fashion and may have high therapeutic potentials in CNS diseases. This study, therefore, evaluated the effect of Jobelyn® supplementation in ethanol-induced neurodegeneration of the hippocampus. Adult male rats received a regimen of ethanol or ethanol plus Jobelyn®, three times daily over four days. Histological results show that Jobelyn® supplementation significantly lowered neurodegeneration in the dentate gyrus, CA1 and CA3 areas. Furthermore, IHC studies show that Jobelyn® triggered an increased expression of p53 proteins in neurons of areas CA1 and CA3, with a reduction of p53 expression in the DG and also caused reduced expression of ɤ-enolase protein in these regions. These findings suggest that Jobelyn® may be able to help to maintain neuronal survival via control of tumor antigen p53 and ɤ-enolase regulated apoptotic and necrotic processes.
