Morus alba fruit diet ameliorates cognitive deficit in mouse model of streptozotocin-induced memory impairment

This study explored the preventive as well as therapeutic effects of diet enriched withMorus alba fruits extract (DEMA) in streptozotocin (STZ) induced mouse model of memory impairment. The study consisted of two facets: one aspect consisted of pretreatment of animals with DEMA for two weeks followed by STZ (i.c.v) intervention and the second phase involved induction of dementia with STZ (i.c.v) followed by treatment with DEMA for 14  days. Cognitive functions of animals were measured by Morris Water Maze test and to delineate the associated mechanism of action, brain biochemical estimations (acetyl-cholinesterase activity, myeloperoxidase activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive species, superoxide dismutase activity, reduced gl utathione and nitrite/nitrate) and histopathological studies (haematoxylin and eosin staining) were performed. Pre- and post- treatment with DEMA significantly prevented and attenuated, respectively, the detrimental effects of STZ on mice brain. The results demonstrated that dietary modification, by incorporation ofM. alba fruits, reduces the incidence and aids in treatment of memory disorder in mice by reducing central cholinergic activity, decreasing oxidative stress and preventing neurodegeneration.
Source: Metabolic Brain Disease - Category: Neurology Source Type: research