title: Naringenin improves learning and memory in an Alzheimer's disease rat model: Insights into the underlying mechanisms.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the prevalent neurological disorders of the central nervous system hallmarked by increased beta-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and ensuing learning and memory deficit. In the present study, the beneficial effect of naringenin on improvement of learning and memory was evaluated in an Alzheimer's disease rat model. The Aβ-injected rats showed a lower alternation score in Y-maze task, impairment of retention and recall capability in passive avoidance test, and lower correct choices and higher errors in radial arm maze (RAM) task as compared to sham group in addition to enhanced oxidative stress and apoptosis. Naringenin, but not a combination of naringenin and fulvestrant (an estrogenic receptor antagonist) significantly improved the performance of Aβ-injected rats in passive avoidance and RAM tasks. Naringenin pretreatment of Aβ-injected rats also lowered hippocampal malondialdehyde (MDA) with no significant effect on nitrite and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in addition to lowering apoptosis. These results suggest naringenin pretreatment attenuates Aβ-induced impairment of learning and memory through mitigation of lipid peroxidation and apoptosis and its beneficial effect is somewhat mediated via estrogenic pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Cellular and Molecular Research Center and Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghofrani
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center and Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Technology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad-Taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Joghataei
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Simin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohseni
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Tourandokht
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baluchnejadmojarad
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Safoura
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khamse
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: mroghani@shahed.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roghani
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D044950:Flavanones / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D044950:Flavanones; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D009573:Nitrites; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C005273:naringenin
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Apoptosis; Beta-amyloid; Learning and memory; Naringenin; Oxidative stress