Methanolic Extract of Piper nigrum Fruits Improves Memory Impairment by Decreasing Brain Oxidative Stress in Amyloid Beta(1–42) Rat Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

The present study analyzed the possible memory-enhancing and antioxidant proprieties of the methanolic extract of Piper nigrum L. fruits (50 and 100 mg/kg, orally, for 21 days) in amyloid beta(1-42) rat model of Alzheimer's disease. The memory-enhancing effects of the plant extract were studied by means of in vivo (Y-maze and radial arm-maze tasks) approaches. Also, the antioxidant activity in the hippocampus was assessed using superoxide dismutase-, catalase-, glutathione peroxidase-specific activities and the total content of reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde, and protein carbonyl levels. The amyloid beta(1-42)-treated rats exhibited the following: decrease of spontaneous alternations percentage within Y-maze task and increase of working memory and reference memory errors within radial arm-maze task. Administration of the plant extract significantly improved memory performance and exhibited antioxidant potential. Our results suggest that the plant extract ameliorates amyloid beta(1-42)-induced spatial memory impairment by attenuation of the oxidative stress in the rat hippocampus.

A Review on Therapeutic Potential of Piper nigrum L. (Black Pepper): The King of Spices

“…Administration of the methanolic extract of Piper nigrum significantly improved memory performance and exhibited antioxidant potential. These studies suggest that methanolic extract of Piper nigrum ameliorates amyloid beta (1-42)-induced spatial memory deterioration by depletion of the oxidative stress in the hippocampus of rats [17]. The antioxidant effect of three Piper species viz P. nigrum, P. guineense and P. umbellatum was evaluated for the protection of renal, cardiac, and hepatic antioxidant status in atherogenic diet fed hamsters.…”

NOS Expression in Oxidative Stress, Neurodegeneration and Male Infertility Induced by the Abuse of Tramadol

“…Progressive cognitive dysfunction is due to the neurodegenerative disorder for CNS of AD. The hallmark of AD is the excessive accumulation of neurotoxic Aβ in the brain and the neuropathological lesions in the brain [13].…”

“…Neurotoxic β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) if increased in the brain, it means that there is a neuropathological lesion in the brain of patients with AD [13].…”

Piper nigrum Fruit Extract Prevents TMA-Induced Allergic Contact Dermatitis by Regulating Th2 Cytokine Production

“…Piper nigrum is widely used as a spice and it has been reported to exhibit various beneficial properties, including antibacterial activity (Paulkumar et al, 2014) and improvements in memory function (Hritcu et al, 2014). Additionally, piperine from Piper nigrum has been observed to exert a suppressive effect on OVA-induced asthma (Kim & Lee, 2009).…”

“…Cho & S. H. Cho, 2013;Choi et al, 2014). Piper nigrum extracts have been used as both dietary ingredient and traditional herbal medicine and shown to exhibit various biological properties, including antibacterial activity (Paulkumar et al, 2014) and counteracting memory impairment (Hritcu et al, 2014). Additionally, HPLC-MS approaches have identified several compounds from Piper nigrum including pellitorine, piperylin, 4,5-dihydropiperlonguminine, piperlonguminine, 4,5-dihydropiperine, piperine, and pipercide (Scott et al, 2005).…”