Piperine attenuates cognitive impairment in an experimental mouse model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease

Che Wang, Zhengxu Cai, Wei Wang, Min Wei, Daqing Kou, Tianbai Li, Zhaofei Yang, Huishu Guo, Weidong Le, Song Li

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

Piperine, the major alkaloid constituent of black pepper, has been reported to possess a wide range of pharmacological effects on the central nervous system, including antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-ischemic activities. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential and neuroprotective mechanisms of piperine in an experimental mouse model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of streptozotocin (STZ). STZ was infused bilaterally at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg/day on day 1 and day 3. From day 8, piperine (2.5–10 mg/kg body weight) was administered intraperitoneally once daily for 15 consecutive days. The locomotor activity and cognitive performance of mice were evaluated using open field test and Morris water maze test, respectively. On day 23, all animals were sacrificed, and the hippocampus was used for biochemical, neurochemical and neuroinflammatory determinations. Our data revealed that the ICV-STZ-infused sAD mouse showed an increased oxidative–nitrosative stress, an altered neurotransmission and an elevated neuroinflammation in hippocampus, as well as significant cognitive deficits. All these alterations can be ameliorated by piperine in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, our findings predict a therapeutic potential of piperine against cognitive deficits in sAD mouse. This effect might be due to its abilities to ameliorate oxidative–nitrosative stress, restore neurotransmission and reduce neuroinflammation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)147-155
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Volume70
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2019

Keywords

  • Cognition
  • Neuroinflammation
  • Neurotransmission
  • Oxidative stress
  • Piperine
  • Sporadic Alzheimer's disease

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Clinical Biochemistry

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