Dietary flavonoid fisetin regulates aluminium chloride-induced neuronal apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of mice brain.

Dietary flavonoids have been suggested to promote brain health by protecting brain parenchymal cells. Recently, understanding the possible mechanism underlying neuroprotective efficacy of flavonoids is of great interest. Given that fisetin exerts neuroprotection, we have examined the mechanisms underlying fisetin in regulating Aß aggregation and neuronal apoptosis induced by aluminium chloride (AlCl3) administration in vivo. Male Swiss albino mice were induced orally with AlCl3 (200 mg/kg. b.wt./day/8 weeks). Fisetin (15 mg/Kg. b.wt. orally) was administered for 4 weeks before AlCl3-induction and administered simultaneously for 8 weeks during AlCl3-induction. We found aggregation of Amyloid beta (Aß 40-42), elevated expressions of Apoptosis stimulating kinase (ASK-1), p-JNK (c-Jun N-terminal Kinase), p53, cytochrome c, caspases-9 and 3, with altered Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in favour of apoptosis in cortex and hippocampus of AlCl3-administered mice. Furthermore, TUNEL and fluoro-jade C staining demonstrate neurodegeneration in cortex and hippocampus. Notably, treatment with fisetin significantly (P<0.05) reduced Aß aggregation, ASK-1, p-JNK, p53, cytochrome c, caspase-9 and 3 protein expressions and modulated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. TUNEL-positive and fluoro-jade C stained cells were also significantly reduced upon fisetin treatment. We have identified the involvement of fisetin in regulating ASK-1 and p-JNK as possible mediator of Aß aggregation and subsequent neuronal apoptosis during AlCl3-induced neurodegeneration. These findings define the possibility that fisetin may slow or prevent neurodegneration and can be utilised as neuroprotective agent against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Effect of growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines by the collagen biocomposite dressing material containing Macrotyloma uniflorum plant extract-In vivo wound healing.

Open burn wounds require proper dressings for faster healing and to prevent infection. In the present study, a wound dressing material in sheet form, containing fish scale collagen (FSC), physiologically clotted fibrin (PCF) and Macrotyloma uniflorum plant extract (MPE) was applied on the experimental wounds of rats. It was found that MPE accelerated wound healing, by suppressing the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS) expressions thereby reduced inflammation. It has influenced the regulation of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF-ß). The biocomposite sheet has enhanced collagen synthesis and down regulated the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), thereby helped faster healing of wounds. The results suggest that the incorporation of MPE played an important role in enhancing the wound healing rate. The FSC-PCF biosheet containing MPE may be further tried on the clinical wounds of small and large animals before application on to humans.

Fisetin enhances behavioral performances and attenuates reactive gliosis and inflammation during aluminum chloride-induced neurotoxicity.

Aluminum (Al) is an environmental neurotoxin that affects cerebral functions and causes health complications. However, the role of Al in arbitrating glia homeostasis and pathophysiology remains obscure. Astrocyte, microglia activation (reactive gliosis), and associated inflammatory events play a decisive role in neurodegeneration and may represent a target for treating neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we have analyzed the role of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) in causing reactive gliosis in the brain of mice and the ability of fisetin, a flavonoid to attenuate reactive gliosis and neuronal inflammation. Reports suggest that fisetin exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Fisetin at a dose of 15 mg/kg body weight was orally administered, daily (pre-treated for 4 weeks before AlCl3 induction and co-treated until experimental period of 8 weeks) to mice induced with AlCl3 (200 mg/kg b.wt./day/8 weeks, orally). Administration of AlCl3 developed behavioral deficits, triggered lipid peroxidation (LPO), compromised acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity, and reduced the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and reduced glutathione (GSH), and caused histologic aberrations. These effects were accompanied by increased expressions of Glial fibrillary acidic protein and ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1ß, inducible nitric oxide synthase, were increased upon AlCl3 administration. AlCl3-induced alterations in the activities of SOD, CAT, GST, AChE and levels of GSH, LPO, activity of AChE, behavioral deficits, histologic aberrations, reactive gliosis, and inflammatory niche were attenuated on treatment with fisetin. Collectively, our results indicate that fisetin exerts neuroprotection against AlCl3-induced brain pathology.

Ameliorating effect of fish oil on acrylamide induced oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis in cerebral cortex.

Acrylamide (ACR) is a known industrial toxic chemical that produce neurotoxicity characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of fish oil on ACR-induced neuronal damage in Wistar rats. ACR enhances the production of reactive oxygen species and potentially affects brain. ACR administered rats showed increased levels of lipid peroxidative product, protein carbonyl content, hydroxyl radical and hydroperoxide which were significantly modulated by the supplementation of fish oil. The activities of enzymic antioxidants and levels of reduced glutathione were markedly lowered in ACR-induced rats; fish oil treatment augmented these antioxidant levels in cortex. Free radicals generated during ACR administration reduced the activities of membrane adenosine triphosphatases and acetylcholine esterase. Fish oil enhanced the activities of these enzymes near normal level. Histological observation represented the protective role of fish oil in ACR-induced neuronal damage. Fish oil reduced the ACR-induced apoptosis through the modulation in expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2)-associated X protein and Bcl2-associated death promoter. Further, fish oil increases the expression of heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) in ACR-induced rats. This study provides evidence for the neuroprotective effect of fish oil on ACR-induced neurotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis with modulation in the expression of Hsp27.

Neuroprotective effect of naringin, a dietary flavonoid against 3-nitropropionic acid-induced neuronal apoptosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of naringin, a flavonoid on 3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced neurodegeneration through the modulation of intrinsic apoptotic cascade in Wistar rats. 3-NP is an irreversible inhibitor of complex II in the mitochondria. 3-NP-induced neurodegeneration has been widely used as an animal model of Huntington's disease (HD). Increased oxidative stress is one of the major deleterious events in 3-NP-induced neuronal apoptosis. Rats administered with 3-NP showed increase in the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl, which was significantly decreased upon naringin treatment (80 mg/kg body weight). 3-NP-induced rats showed decrease in the activities of enzymic antioxidants and reduced levels of non-enzymic antioxidants. Naringin treatment ameliorated the antioxidant status by increasing the activities of enzymic antioxidants and the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants. 3-NP-induced rats showed decrease in the activities of ATPases in striatum, which was restored to normal level upon naringin treatment. Histopathological observation of the striatal tissue showed protective role of naringin in 3-NP-induced rats. Naringin also reduced the 3-NP-induced apoptosis via decrease in the cytochrome c release from mitochondria and caspase 3 activation as revealed by Western blot. Naringin treatment also decreased the expressions of pro-apoptotic markers like Bad and Bax. Further, naringin antagonized 3-NP-induced decrease in Bcl-2 mRNA expression. The results of this study show evidence on the neuroprotective effect of naringin against 3-NP-induced neuronal apoptosis through its antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects.