3-(2,4-Dimethylbenzylidene)-6-chloroindolin-2-one Alleviates Memory Impairment in D-Galactose-induced Alzheimer Like Pathology in a Mouse Model.

INTRODUCTION: Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are the main contributors to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current study evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of 3-(2,4- dimethylbenzylidene)-6-chloroindolin-2-one (DMO) against D-Galactose (GAL)-induced neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and memory impairment in mice. METHODS: Swiss Male albino mice weighing (25-30 g) were assigned to five experimental groups (n=6) (i) Normal group (received normal saline 0.9%) (ii) Control group (received GAL 100 mg/kg i.p) (iii) Standard group (received Donepezil 5 mg/kg + GAL 100 mg/kg i.p) (iv) Treatment group 1 (received DMO 5 mg/kg + GAL 100 mg/kg i.p) and Treatment group 2 (received DMO 10 mg/kg + GAL 100 mg/kg i.p) once daily for 8 weeks. After treatment, the mice were subjected to behavioral analysis, followed by sacrifice for further analysis. RESULTS: DMO alleviated GAL-induced cognitive impairment as shown by the Morris water maze test (MWM), Y-maze, elevated plus maze (EPM), and open field (OF) test. Brain tissue histology showed reversal of distorted neuronal structures and decreased pyknosis upon DMO treatment. DMO also decreased the levels of Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST), reduced Glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT), concomitant with increased lipid peroxidase (LPO). Furthermore, levels of TNF-α and NF- ҡB, were significantly reduced in the DMO treatment groups as quantified by ELISA. In addition, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed a substantial decrease in the expression of β-amyloid and Tau protein. DISCUSSION: The results showed that DMO inhibits D-gal induced oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and consequently alleviates memory impairment. CONCLUSION: Our novel findings suggest that DMO could be a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of brain aging-associated disorders.