الملخص الإنجليزي
Aluminium (Al) is reported to play a crucial role in the etiology; pathogenesis and development of Alzheimer's disease, a common form of dementia. Regular consumption of flavonoid rich fruits and vegetables are associated with lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases and better cognitive performance. Berries grown in Oman are good sources of nutrients and natural antioxidants. None of the current available drugs for AD slows or stops the damage of neurons but temporarily improves symptoms and could cause some undesirable side effects in AD patients. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of some berries varieties (4% in diet) grown in Oman on the behavioral and biochemical status in aluminium chloride (AICI:) induced Alzheimer's disease mice. Animals (CD-1 mice) were divided into eight groups (n=8); Group 1: normal mice fed with normal diet and group 2 AlCl3-induced mice fed with normal diet, group 3, 4 and 5 were AlCl3-induced mice fed with a diet consisting of 4% of Morus alba, Morus macroura and Sideroxylon mascatense respectively. AD was induced by administering AIC13 (100mg/kg body weight) every day for 6 weeks. Group 6, 7 and 8 were control mice fed with fruits in their diet. Animal behaviors of all were assessed by elevated plus maze and open field test (for anxiety-related behavior), Morris water maze and T-maze test (for memory and learning abilities) which were done after experimental period. AD mice showed altered behavior and berries fruits supplementation to AD mice showed no significant improvement (p>0.05) in terms of learning, memory, anxiety and motor coordination. AD mice showed significant reduction in the antioxidant status and increased free radical generation. Dietary supplementation of 4% berries to AD mice significantly improved (p<0.05) the Aluminium (Al) induced pathological changes by enhancing antioxidant status and decreasing the levels of lipid peroxidation, which might be due to the presence of active phytochemicals/natural antioxidants such as anthocyanin and caffeic acid, etc. in berries. However, the exact mechanism is still unclear and further extensive research is needed to investigate the behavioral changes attribute of berries in AlCl3-induced mice and to identify the bioactive ingredients of these fruits.
