Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry) extracts protect against retinal degeneration in a mouse model of amyloid beta-induced Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

This study was to evaluate the protective effect of Phyllanthus emblica L. (Indian gooseberry) on retinal degeneration in a well-characterized animal model of Alzheimer’s disease. RGC-5 cells were treated with Indian gooseberry extract (IGE), and intracellular antioxidant activity was evaluated. IGE was orally administered to mice for 21 days, then amyloid beta (Aβ) was administered by intracerebroventricular injection to induce neuronal damage in the brain and retina, and enucleated eyes were collected from the mice and analyzed using western blots and histological assays. As a result, we found that IGE inhibited intracellular oxidative stress and reduced the severity of histological changes caused by Aβ-induced retinal degeneration in retinal tissue. Furthermore, it regulated the levels of neurofilament (NF)-L, thymocyte differentiation antigen 1 (Thy-1), and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in the retina. These findings demonstrate that IGE protects against retinal degeneration and suggest that this effect is attributable to its antioxidant properties.

Keywords

• Indian gooseberry
• Retinal degeneration
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyloid beta