Drug Design, Development and Therapy (May 2023)
Therapeutic Efficacy of Boric Acid Treatment on Brain Tissue and Cognitive Functions in Rats with Experimental Alzheimer’s Disease
Abstract
Çağrı Özdemir,1 Mustafa Arslan,2– 4 Ayşegül Küçük,5 Zeynep Yığman,6,7 Ali Doğan Dursun8 1Mamak State Hospital Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, Turkey; 2Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, Turkey; 3Gazi University, Life Sciences Application and Research Center, Ankara, Turkey; 4Gazi University, Laboratory Animal Breeding and Experimental Research Center (GÜDAM), Ankara, Turkey; 5Kutahya Health Sciences University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Kutahya, Turkey; 6Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ankara, Turkey; 7Gazi University Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Center of Excellence (NÖROM), Ankara, Turkey; 8Atılım University Faculty of Medicine Department of Physiology, Ankara, TurkeyCorrespondence: Mustafa Arslan, Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, 06510, Türkiye, Email [email protected]: Oxidative stress has an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common type of dementia. Boric acid (BA) contributes significantly to the protection of the brain by reducing lipid peroxidation and supporting antioxidant defense. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of BA treatment in AD rats.Materials and Methods: Four groups were formed as Control (C), Alzheimer’s (A), Alzheimer’s + Boric acid (ABA), Boric acid (BA). Intracerebroventricular injection of Streptozotocin (STZ) was preferred to create an AD. After 4 weeks, BA was applied 3 times every other day. The Radial Arm Maze Test (RAMT) was used to evaluate memory and learning abilities. Biochemical and histopathological evaluations were made in the hippocampus.Results: Initial RAMT inlet/outlet (I/O) numbers were similar. Two weeks after STZ injection, I/O numbers decreased in group A and ABA compared to group C and BA (p< 0.05). After the second BA application, I/O numbers increased in the ABA group compared to the A group (p< 0.05). In group A, PON-1, TOS and OSI levels were higher and TAS levels were lower than in groups BA and C. After BA treatment, PON-1 and OSI levels were lower in the ABA group than in the A group (p< 0.05). Although there was an increase in TAS value and a decrease in TOS, this did not make a statistical difference. The thickness of the pyramidal cell in CA1 and the granular cell layers in the dentate gyrus, and the number of intact and degenerated neurons in the pyramidal cell layer were similar between the groups.Discussion: Significant improvement in learning and memory abilities after BA application is promising for AD.Conclusion: These results show that BA application positively affects learning and memory abilities, and reduces oxidative stress. More extensive studies are required to evaluate histopathological efficacy.Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, boric acid, cognitive function, oxidative stress
