Centella asiatica extract selectively decreases amyloid β levels in hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease animal model

Abstract

PSAPP mice expressing the 'Swedish' amyloid precursor protein and the M146L presenilin 1 mutations are a well-characterized model for spontaneous amyloid β β β β β plaque formation. Centella asiatica has a long history of use in India as a memory enhancing drug in Ayurvedic literature. The study investigated whether Centella asiatica extract (CaE) can alter the amyloid pathology in PSAPP mice by administering CaE (2.5 or 5.0 g/kg/day) starting at 2 months of age prior to the onset of detectable amyloid deposition and continued for either 2 months or 8 months. A significant decrease in amyloid β β β β β 1-40 and 1-42 was detectable by ELISA following an 8 month treatment with 2.5 mg/kg of CaE. A reduction in Congo Red stained fibrillar amyloid plaques was detected with the 5.0 mg/kg CaE dose and long-term treatment regimen. It was also confirmed that CaE functions as an antioxidant in vitro, scavenging free radicals, reducing lipid peroxidation and protecting against DNA damage. The data indicate that CaE can impact the amyloid cascade altering amyloid β β β β β pathology in the brains of PSAPP mice and modulating components of the oxidative stress response that has been implicated in the neurodegenerative changes that occur with Alzheimer's disease.

THE EFFECTS OF ETHANOL EXTRACTS OF Centella asiatica LEAF ON SERIAL SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIN FACTOR (BDNF) CONCENTRATION OF RATS (SPRAGUE DAWLEY) FOLLOWING CHRONIC STRESS

“…Asiaticoside is also reported function as a dementiatreating agent (Kumar et al,2011). In the previous studies using Centella asiatica as substance to ameliorate cognitive and memory function, the data was based on brain morphological improvement after treatment, such as enhancement of neuronal dendrites in growth 164 spurt rats (Mohandas et al,, 2006;Mohandas et al, 2009), the thickness of pyramidal layer in CA1 hippocampus (Sari eet al, 2012), and alteration of amyloid ² pathology in the brain of Alzheimer's disease animal models (Dhanasekaran et al, 2009). Centella asiatica was also proven to modulate components of the oxidative stress response in neurodegenerative mice (Kumar et al, 2011).…”

In vitro screening on β-amyloid peptide production of plants used in traditional medicine for cognitive disorders

“…It should be noticed that the in vivo A␤ reduction mentioned by Dhanasekaran et al (2009), took place after 8 months of treatment, and was not visible after 2 months; such treatment length is impossible in our screening test.…”

“…Recent studies of leaf extracts have shown not only in vivo spatial learning enhancement and memory retention, but also interesting tracks to an explanation of the traditional use as memory enhancer: extract given to 7-day old rat pups during 6 weeks increased the length and arborization of the dendrites of hippocampal (CA3 regions) neurons implicated in memorization (Mohandas Rao et al, 2006), and extract given per os to PS-APP mice (5 mg/kg/day during 8 months, beginning 2 months before the onset of amyloid plaques) diminishes A␤ in the hippocampus and fibrillar amyloid plaques in the cortex (Dhanasekaran et al, 2009).…”

Life or death: Neuroprotective and anticancer effects of quercetin

“…The use of Valerian, Kava-kava and Saint John 0 s wort has traditionally had an emphasis in affective disorders, and whereas G. biloba is widely used to treat dementia (Weinmann et al, 2010), B. monniera has been recognized as a ''brain tonic'' for years and has also been demonstrated to elicit neuroprotective effects in experimental studies of oxidative aluminum damage in the rat hippocampus (Jyoti and Sharma, 2006). Centella asiatica is another example of a plant that is utilized for its activities on the nervous system, which have been experimentally demonstrated to affect the amyloid cascade and to alter the amyloid beta pathology in the brains of the transgenic PSAPP mice model of Alzheimer 0 s disease (Dhanasekaran et al, 2009).…”