Portulaca oleracea L. Methanolic Extract Protects the Brain of Male Rats Against Alzheimer's Disease.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs as a result of a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is most frequently linked to a decline in cognitive function and memory. Twenty-four male rats were divided into four groups (n = 6); Group I was the negative control, Group II was the AlCl₃-positive control, and Group III and Group IV were treated with 100 mg and 200 mg/kg of Portulaca oleracea methanolic extract, respectively. Aluminum chloride intoxication in Group II increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant parameters and affected interleukin-6 (IL-6), the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and amyloid beta (Aβ), which lead to the induction of AD through injuring brain cells of AD rats. Treating the AD rats in Group III (GIII) and Group IV (GIV) with P. oleracea ameliorated the altered parameters in the AD rats. It also increased folic acid and vitamin B12 levels. P. oleracea modulated the physiological, biochemical, and histological changes brought on by AlCl₃ intoxication in rats via oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. The dose of P. oleracea in GIV successfully modified the behavioral changes brought on by AlCl₃ in the AD rats more than that of GIII.