Author(s): Sarah Abdulmalek, Mansour Suliman and Osman Omer
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Impaired learning and loss of memory are the most common symptoms of the disease. In the present study Alzheimer’s disease was chemically induced using aluminum chloride intra-peritoneal injections in mice. Pomegranate juice was used to prevent the Alzheimer’s like symptoms. After the treatment period, behavioral studies were done in mice to assess learning and memory. Biochemical assays and histopathological studies were made to determine the effect of pomegranate at the cellular level. Treatment with pomegranate juice for 29 days was shown to improve learning and memory in mice. Histopathological studies showed that pomegranate juice has a protective effect on brain cells against aluminum chloride-induced degeneration. Biochemical results showed decreased concentration of glutathione in brain tissue and an increased concentration of malondialdehyde suggesting increased level of oxidation in the brain tissue. The present results show that, pomegranate juice has a neuroprotective effect against Alzheimer’s like disease induced by aluminum chloride. Ingestion of pomegranate juice improves learning and memory in rodents. Further studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanism of action of pomegranate in the brain tissue to determine the effect of pomegranate
