The Polyherbal Wattana Formula Displays Anti-Amyloidogenic Properties by Increasing α-Secretase Activities

Dual prophylactic/therapeutic potential of date seed, and nigella and olive oils-based nutraceutical formulation in rats with experimentally-induced Alzheimer's disease: A mechanistic insight

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a multifactorial etiology and significantly increasing incidence during the last decade. Hence, developing an effective therapy is crucial for public health. The current study aimed to examine the dual prophylactic/therapeutic potential of a nutraceutical formula based on aqueous extract of roasted date seeds, and nigella and virgin-olive oils against experimentally-induced Alzheimer's disease in rats. Alzheimer's disease-like pathology was induced in male Wistar rats using oral CuSO₄ (200 mg/Kg/day for two months). The nutraceutical formula was given orally to experimental animals (10 mL/kg/d) for 14 days before (as prophylaxis) and after Alzheimer's disease induction and its therapeutic effect in both cases is tested in comparison to donepezil (0.5 mg/kg/d). The nutraceutical formula was found to ameliorate the CuSO₄-induced neuronal damage and regenerate the affected hippocampus tissue and significantly improvemed in learning ability. The formula was also effective in decreasing brain amyloid-β, tau protein, TNF-α level, iNOS level in hippocampus, oxidative stress level, and inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity and expression in brain and hippocampus, respectively. Further, an increase in GSH levels, activities of SOD, and GST and levels of hippocampus ADAM 17 and brain phospholipids was observed. In conclusion, the studied nutraceutical formula is proved to be effective in ameliorating Alzheimer's neurodegenerative progression with added-prophylactic potential.

Stage-dependent involvement of ADAM10 and its significance in epileptic seizures

The prevalence of epileptic seizures in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has attracted an increasing amount of attention in recent years, and many cohort studies have found several risk factors associated with the genesis of seizures in AD. Among these factors, young age and severe dementia are seemingly contradictory and independent risk factors, indicating that the pathogenesis of epileptic seizures is, to a certain extent, stage‐dependent. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain‐containing protein 10 (ADAM10) is a crucial α‐secretase responsible for ectodomain shedding of its substrates; thus, the function of this protein depends on the biological effects of its substrates. Intriguingly, transgenic models have demonstrated ADAM10 to be associated with epilepsy. Based on the biological effects of its substrates, the potential pathogenic roles of ADAM10 in epileptic seizures can be classified into amyloidogenic processes in the ageing stage and cortical dysplasia in the developmental stage. Therefore, ADAM10 is reviewed here as a stage‐dependent modulator in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Current data regarding ADAM10 in epileptic seizures were collected and reviewed for potential pathogenic roles (ie amyloidogenic processes and cortical dysplasia) and regulatory mechanisms (ie transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation). These findings are then discussed in terms of the significance of the stage‐dependent functions of ADAM10 in epilepsy. Several potential targets for seizure control, such as candidate transcription factors and microRNAs that regulate ADAM10, as well as potential genetic screening tools for the early recognition of cortical dysplasia, have been suggested but must be studied in more detail.