Preparation of pumpkin oil-based nanoemulsion as a potential estrogen replacement therapy to alleviate neural-immune interactions in an experimental postmenopausal model

As estrogen production decreases during menopause; the brain's metabolism tends to stall and become less effective. Estrogen most likely protects against neurodegeneration. Consequently, a comprehensive study of the benefits of hormone replacement therapy as a neuroprotective effect is urgently required. This study was designed to fabricate pumpkin seed oil nanoparticles (PSO) in nanoemulsion form (PSO-NE) and investigate their potential role in attenuating the neural-immune interactions in an experimental postmenopausal model.Sixty female white albino rats were divided into six groups: control, sham, ovariectomized (OVX), and three OVX groups treated with 17 beta-estradiol, PSO, and PSO-NE respectively. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and particle size analyzer were performed for nanoemulsion evaluation. Serum levels of estrogen, brain amyloid precursor protein (APP), serum levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa beta), interleukin 6 (IL-6), transthyretin (TTR), and synaptophysin (SYP) were evaluated. The expression of estrogen receptors (ER-alpha, beta) in the brain tissue was estimated. The findings revealed that the approached PSO-NE system was able to reduce the interfacial tension, enhance the dispersion entropy, lower the system free energy to an extremely small value, and augment the interfacial area. PSO-NE, showed a significant increase in the levels of estrogen, brain APP, SYP, and TTR accompanied with a significant increased in the expression of brain ER-alpha, beta compared to the OVX group. In conclusion, the phytoestrogen content of PSO exhibited a significant prophylactic effect on neuro-inflammatory interactions, ameliorating both estrogen levels and the inflammatory cascades.

Automated summary

As estrogen production decreases during menopause, the brain's metabolism becomes less effective, leading to the need for further research on hormone replacement therapy for neuroprotection. This study aimed to investigate the potential of pumpkin seed oil nanoparticles (PSO-NE) in attenuating neural-immune interactions in a postmenopausal model.