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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the world. This neurodegenerative disease affects 6.5 million people's lives by leading to functional impairments such as memory loss and cognitive regression. In the treatment of AD, there is no drug for radical treatment in the worldwide. Current treatment strategies provide relief to the symptoms. Therefore, curcumin (CUR) was preferred as a promising alternative therapeutic approach in this study. By using the double emulsion solvent evaporation technique, PLGA/PEG nanoparticles were produced and CUR was loaded to these nanoparticles (CNP). After that, the chemical structures and morphologies of CNP and PNP were analyzed by using FTIR and SEM. As a result, it was proven that these nanoparticles were produced by using PLGA and PEG polymers and CUR was loaded to these nanoparticles successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which is quite prevalent in our society, not only makes the lives of patients and their families more challenging but also brings significant economic burdens. Sideritis species are widely used in folk medicine due to their various effects such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, diuretic, and antispasmodic properties. Although there are many studies with the hypothesis that ROS is effective in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, there are not enough studies on Sideritis germanicopolitana Bornm. subsp. viridis Hausskn. ex Bornm. (SGV) and Sideritis libanotica Labill. subsp. linearis (Bentham) Bornm. (SLL) species. In this study, the antioxidant activities of SGV and SLL plant extracts were compared using DPPH, FRAP, and CUPRAC methods to aid in AD treatment research. It was determined that SGV extract has higher DPPH (0.023±0.005 mg/mL), FRAP (1.074± 0.180 mM FeSO4/mg extract) and CUPRAC (2,988± 0,041 mM trolox equivalent/mg extract) activity potential than SLL extract. Additionally, as a result of cytotoxicity studies performed on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, ethanol extracts of SGV may be more suitable for use in AD at higher concentrations (250 µg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) has been used for centuries as a traditional herbal medicine in Europe and Asia. In this study, we aimed to describe the effect of Cornus mas L. (C. mas) on the activity of the antioxidant enzymes and a detoxification agent in rats fed a high-fat diet. Forty-eight adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups of eight animals each: Standard diet (Control), High Fat Diet (HFD), HFD + C. mas (200 mg/kg/day; 8 weeks), HFD + Atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day; 8 weeks), HFD post-treated with C. mas (200 mg/kg/day; 4 weeks), HFD posttreated with Atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day; 4 weeks). The activity of the antioxidant enzymes, Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), detoxification agent glutathione (GSH), and oxidative stress parameter thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in the liver tissues. GPx, SOD, and CAT enzyme levels were decreased in HFD groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). However, Cornus mas L. promoted antioxidant activity by increasing GPx, SOD, and CAT enzymes and It also reduced oxidative stress (as an increase in GSH) both in the HFD + C. mas group and the HFD post-treated C. mas group compared to the HFD group (p < 0.05). Our study showed that feeding a high-fat diet increases oxidative stress. Cornus mas L treatment improves antioxidant enzyme activity and oxidative stress parameters in the liver tissues of rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is a state characterized by sudden, recurrent epileptic seizures that are not initiated by an identifiable event. There are various studies has been shown that Hypericum species may be used for their anticonvulsant potentials. Besides, the relationship between anticonvulsant activity and antioxidant effect has already been shown in the literature. In the current study, H. triquetrifolium was investigated for the first time for its potential antioxidant and anticonvulsant potential using in vitro and in vivo test models. H. triquetrifolium extracts were tested with DPPH assay, FRAP assay, copper (II) ion reducing antioxidant capacity assay, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity assay to understand their antioxidant potential. Especially, methanolic extract of H. triquetrifolium was shown the highest antioxidant activity. Moreover, a pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 80 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced seizure model was conducted to analyze the anticonvulsant activities of H. triquetrifolium extracts in mice. In addition, this study revealed that H. triquetrifolium decreased the ratio of severe seizures and increased the mean onsite of mortality and survival rate in a dose-dependent manner. It is thought that the anticonvulsant effect may be either related to the antioxidant potential of H. triquetrifolium or its interference in the GABAergic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are both characterized by similar pathologies, and studies have shown that various drugs from both groups may be effective in another. The effects of sodium-glucose co-transporter (SGLT)2 inhibitors in AD are unknown. According to molecular docking studies, various SGLT inhibitors have acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activity, which is therapeutic target for AD. In this study, we investigated the effects of SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on intracerebroventricular (icv) streptozotocin (STZ) induced sporadic AD rats using open field test (OFT), novel object recognition test (NORT), passive avoidance test (PAT) and Morris's water maze test (MWMT). Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: vehicle-control, icv STZ, dapagliflozin, and galantamine treatments groups. STZ was injected bilaterally in two divided doses on day 1 and 3. All treatments began on day 1 and continued to day 21. OFT was performed for evaluating animal locomotor activity and anxiety. Other behavioral tests, NORT, PAT, and MWMT was performed for determining of learning and memory ability of rats. On day 21, all rats were decapitated. Our results showed that treatments with dapagliflozin and galantamine significantly prevented learning and memory deficits in behavioral tests. Dapagliflozin may present as a potent dual inhibitor of SGLT2 and AChE. Our results may form the basis of future dual treatment against diabetes and diabetes-related neurological diseases. The effects of possible dual AChE and SGLT2 inhibition by a single compound may help to establish new drugs that perform both anti-AD and antidiabetic action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forming polymeric core–sheath nanofibers is gaining prominence owing to their numerous potential applications, most notably in functional scenarios such as antiviral filtration, which is attracting significant attention due to the current COVID pandemic. This study has successfully designed and constructed a novel pressurized gyration vessel to fabricate core–sheath polymer nanofibers. Several water-soluble and water-insoluble polymer combinations are investigated. Both polyethylene oxide and polyvinyl alcohol were used as the core while both poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(caprolactone) (PCL) were used as the sheath; PLA and PCL were used as core and sheath, in different instances; respectively. The fluid behavior of the core–sheath within the vessel was studied with and without applied pressure using computational fluid dynamics to simulate the core–sheath flow within the chamber. A high-speed camera was used to observe the behavior of jetted solutions at core–sheath openings, and the best scenario was achieved using 6000 rpm spinning speed with 0.2 MPa (twice atmospheric) applied pressure. The surface morphology of core–sheath fibers was studied using a scanning electron microscope, and focused ion beam milling assisted scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the cross-sectional features of the produced fibers. Laser confocal scanning microscopy was also used to verify the core–sheath structure of the fibers, which were further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Thus, using a variety of polymer combinations, we show, both theoretically and experimentally, how core–sheath fibers evolve in a vessel that can serve as a scalable manufacturing pressurized gyration production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]