Puerarin attenuates amyloid-beta-induced cognitive impairment through suppression of apoptosis in rat hippocampus in vivo

Elevated levels of beta amyloid (A beta) in the brains being a hallmark of Alzheimer s disease have been believed to play a critical role in the cognitive dysfunction that occurs in Alzheimer s disease Recent evidence suggests that A beta induces neuronal apoptosis in the brain and in primary neuronal cultures In this study we investigated the effects of puerarin a phytoestrogen isolated from Pueraria lobata on cognitive function and neuronal apoptosis in the intrahippocampal injection of A beta rats and its mechanism of action The results show the intrahippocampal injection of A beta induced a spatial memory deficit apoptosis and caspase-9 activation in hippocampal neurons Puerarin treatment ameliorated A beta(1-42)-induced cognitive impairment and reversed the increase of apoptosis in the hippocampus The attenuation is associated with the activation of Akt and phosphorylation of Bad These results suggest that puerarin may be an anti-Alzheimer s disease candidate drug to suppress both Alzheimer s disease-related neuronal cell apoptosis and dysfunction of the memory system (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved