The role of lycopene on the hippocampus of rat model of lipopolysaccharide‐induced Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is the sixth leading cause of dementia worldwide. According to AD hypothesis, the progression of AD begins following the accumulation of these proteins, leading to eventual synapse loss and neuronal cell death. Over the last few decades, significant advances have been made in our understanding of AD by investigating the mechanisms of the two proteins: amyloid beta and tau pathology. There are yet unanswered questions regarding the aetiology and progression of the disease.This study was designed to investigate the role of lycopene on hippocampus in lipopolysaccharide‐ induced Alzheimer’s disease.MethodsFifty (50) adult Wistar rats were divided into five (5) groups. Group A (The control group were given equal volume of water), Group B Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) only; given 150mg/kg body weight), Group C (curative group, given 150mg/kg of LPS followed by 15mg/kg body weight of lycopene (LYC), Group D (preventive, given 15mg/kg of LYC followed by 150mg/kg body weight of LPS), Group E (LYC only). The rats were subjected to neurobehavioral protocols. After sacrifice, the brain sections were processed and stained for H&E, Silver, LUXOL‐FAST BLUE, and Masson Trichrome stains.ResultsThe results revealed that LPS induced significant reduction in body and brain weights, reference memory and neuronal parameters. There was significant histologically lesions, demyelination and increased neuroinflammation.Conclusionsthe study demonstrated that Lycopene exhibited neuroprotective effects by mitigating oxidative stress, suppressing production of inflammatory cytokines, and attenuating the pathologic lesions associated with LPS AD modelin the hippocampus.