UNRAVELLING THE NEUROPROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF FICUS DELTOIDEA JACK IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE-LIKE RAT MODEL: INSIGHTS FROM HISTOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVES

時間地點：11:30 am, Sep 10 (Tue), 2024; R1-1042 Conference Room

研討講者：Dr. Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat

August 08, 2024

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Dementia, notably Alzheimer’s disease (AD), presents a significant challenge for aging populations due to its progressive cognitive decline caused by neuronal degeneration. The hallmark attributes of AD include amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles caused by hyperphosphorylation of tau. Multiple studies have explicitly investigated tau phosphorylation, revealing that phosphorylated tau is significantly elevated in the majority of AD brains. Current medications for AD offer limited palliative care, underscoring the urgent need for multifaceted therapies targeting various AD pathogenic pathways. Natural products have been vastly researched for their potential in AD drug development and, hence, in this study, the therapeutic potential of Ficus deltoidea (FD) is highlighted by determining its neuroprotective effects on hippocampal histology and AD-related protein expression in an AD-like rat model.

METHODS

This study induced AD-like conditions in male albino Wistar rats using D-galactose (D-gal) and aluminium chloride (AlCl3), known as senescence and neurotoxic agents, respectively. The AD-induced rats were orally administered with FD extract at varying dosages for 12 weeks. Subsequent investigations including Morris water maze (MWM) test, hippocampal tissue examination via Nissl staining and measurement of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) expression were performed to assess the neuroprotective effects of FD.

RESULTS

MWM results demonstrated that AD-induced rats exhibited impaired spatial learning and memory, which were significantly improved with FD co-administration. The AD-induced rats showed a significant loss of pyramidal neurons in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) sub-region of the hippocampus. However, FD administration successfully reversed these morphological aberrations. Furthermore, FD-treated rats exhibited an apparent decrease in p-tau expression in their brains.

CONCLUSION

The administration of FD resulted in a lower p-tau level, which improved learning and memory, along with reduced neuronal loss. These findings indicate that early intervention with FD may serve as a preventive measure against AD and offer therapeutic benefits for AD medication development.

Dr. Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat

Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Universiti Putra Malaysia

Dr. Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat

Dr. Muhammad Zulfadli Mehat is a senior lecturer in Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPM. He is presently the coordinator of eDU-PARK® at UPM, as well as the Lab Coordinator of Animal Behavioural Lab at Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPM. He received a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (Honours) from UPM, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Science with a specialisation in Pharmacology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His current research interests emphasize the realm of neuroscience research, specifically on the anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant aspects. His interest primarily revolves around the utilisation of natural products in both in vitro experiments using microglial cells and in vivo studies utilising an Alzheimer's Disease-like rat model. Muhammad Zulfadli has published in a number of peer-reviewed research publications, including the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. His research projects are funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia. He has collaborated actively with other senior academics and researchers from both internal and external UPM, as well as with industrial partners, to further investigate the potential within his research area.  In addition, Muhammad Zulfadli is a research leader for the University Research Group on cannabis and kratom research. He is one of the leaders in the Research Collaboration in Malaysia Small Animal Imaging Consortium project, which involves collaboration with five other research universities in Malaysia.  Muhammad Zulfadli also serves as an exco-member of the Malaysian Society of Neurosciences. He is now the National Project Leader for Malaysia Brain Bee Challenge 2024, having previously served as Chairman of MSN 2019 and participated in over thirty conference and workshop committees.