Ferulic Acid reduces amyloid beta mediated neuroinflammation through modulation of Nurr1 expression in microglial cells

Ferulic acid mitigated rotenone toxicity -Evoked Parkinson in rat model by featuring apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation signaling

Over time, Parkinson disease (PD) develops as a neurological illness. The goal of this study was to see whether ferulic acid has any neuroprotective benefits on the cerebellum of rats that have Parkinson's disease brought on by rotenone poisoning. A total of twenty-four male albino rats, in good condition, weighed between 200 and 250 g and nine to ten weeks old, were employed in the investigation. The control group received 1 ml of sunflower oil intraperitoneally (i.p.) each day. Rats' motor performance was considerably worse when given rotenone than it was in the control group. Rats given Ferulic Acid (FA) showed a substantial drop in the amount of glutathione (GSH) in the cerebellum. Moreover, the injection of FA resulted in a significant reduction in the optical density (OD) of the immune-positive reaction for α-synuclein, and the area percentage of BCL-2 and NF-kB immunological positive response. FA therapy, surprisingly, enhanced the OD of TH immunopositive response and apoptotic regulators (BCL2) in the cerebellum. Furthermore, FA boosted BCL2 expression, confirming the antiapoptotic effects of FA. Based on these results, FA is probably a good candidate to treat neurodegenerative diseases brought on by long-term exposure to rotenone.

Role of Cytoskeletal Elements in Regulation of Synaptic Functions: Implications Toward Alzheimer's Disease and Phytochemicals-Based Interventions

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a multifactorial disease, is characterized by the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques. AD is triggered via several factors like alteration in cytoskeletal proteins, a mutation in presenilin 1 (PSEN1), presenilin 2 (PSEN2), amyloid precursor protein (APP), and post-translational modifications (PTMs) in the cytoskeletal elements. Owing to the major structural and functional role of cytoskeletal elements, like the organization of axon initial segmentation, dendritic spines, synaptic regulation, and delivery of cargo at the synapse; modulation of these elements plays an important role in AD pathogenesis; like Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that stabilizes the microtubules, and it also causes inhibition of nucleo-cytoplasmic transportation by disrupting the integrity of nuclear pore complex. One of the major cytoskeletal elements, actin and its dynamics, regulate the dendritic spine structure and functions; impairments have been documented towards learning and memory defects. The second major constituent of these cytoskeletal elements, microtubules, are necessary for the delivery of the cargo, like ion channels and receptors at the synaptic membranes, whereas actin-binding protein, i.e., Cofilin's activation form rod-like structures, is involved in the formation of paired helical filaments (PHFs) observed in AD. Also, the glial cells rely on their cytoskeleton to maintain synaptic functionality. Thus, making cytoskeletal elements and their regulation in synaptic structure and function as an important aspect to be focused for better management and targeting AD pathology. This review advocates exploring phytochemicals and Ayurvedic plant extracts against AD by elucidating their neuroprotective mechanisms involving cytoskeletal modulation and enhancing synaptic plasticity. However, challenges include their limited bioavailability due to the poor solubility and the limited potential to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), emphasizing the need for targeted strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy.