The Effect Of Curcumin On The Behavior Of APP/PS1 Double Transgenic Mice And Its Inflammatory Mechanism

BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease(AD)is a central nervous system degenerative disease,which characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and behavioral impairment in old and older patients.The pathogenesis of AD is complicated,mainly involving the deposition of Aβpeptide in neurons.The agglutination of Aβ can activate microglia and astrocytes which produce inflammatory factors around the deposited Aβ peptide,such as nitric oxide,tumor necrosis factor alpha,interleukin and prostaglandins.These inflammatory factors can lead to neuron death.This inflammatory response increases with the progression of the disease and damages memory and cognitive function.Curcumin is the main active ingredient of turmeric,and a study in India found that curcumin may have an effect in improving cognition.Meanwhile,studies have shown that curcumin can inhibit the expression of relevant inflammatory factors such as IL-1β,TNF-a,and regulate the process of inflammatory response,while inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of AD.PurposeTo investigate the effects of curcumin on the behavior of APP/PS1 double transgenic mice and to analyze the inflammatory mechanisms that may be involved by animal experiment.Methods1.Twenty 8-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic mice were randomly divided into two groups:model group and curcumin intervention group.While ten wild type mice were used as control group.2.The spatial learning ability and memory ability of mice were evaluated by Morris water maze.3.The level of IL-p and TNF-a in brain tissue were tested by ELISA.4.The data obtained and was analyzed by SPSS20.0.Results1.In AD model group,mice escape latency from day 3 to 5 in the AD model group(85.3±16.5s,60.2±10.6s,58.8±9.3s)was significantly longer than that of the wild type mice(41.8±10.3s,19.7±3.6s,18.6±4.9s)(P<0.05),mice travel distance(617.4±17.3 cm)was significantly higher than that of the wild type mice(175.8±26.8 cm)(p<0.05),mice platform crossing number(11.5±1.2)was significantly lower than that of model group(28.4±2.5)(p<0.05),time spent in the target quadrant(12.1±1.5s)was significantly lower than that of model group(27.4±2.1 s)(p<0.05).2.In curcumin intervention group,mice escape latency from day 3 to 5 in the training experiment(57.4±12.1s、41.6±9.8s、38.7±8.2s)were significantly lower than which in model group(85.3±16.5s、60.2±10.6s、58.8±9.3s,p<0.05),mice travel distance(320.9±20.5cm)was significantly lower than which in model group(617.4±17.3cm,p<0.05),mice platform crossing number(20.8±1.9)was significantly higher than which in model group(11.5±1.2,p<0.05),time spent in the target quadrant(21.9±4.9s)was significantly higher than which in model group(12.1±1.5s,p<0.05).3.The level of IL-1β(12.5±3.5 ug/g wet tissue)and TNF-a(15.5±1.8ug/g wet tissue)in the hippocampus of the curcumin intervention group was significantly lower than IL-1β(23.6±0.8ug/g wet tissue)and TNF-α(27.5±0.9ug/g wet tissue)in the AD model group,and all were statistically significant(p<0.05).ConclusionCurcumin alleviated the spatial learning ability and memory deficits of APP/PS1 double transgenic mice,which may relatd to the inhibition of the inflammatory response in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice.