Department of Pharmacology, Nalanda College of Pharmacy, Charlapally, Nalgonda 508001, A.P., India.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2013 Mar 5;703(1-3):91-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.11.018. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
Aging is associated with progressive decline in mental abilities and functional capacities. Postmitotic tissues are most vulnerable to alteration due to oxidative damage leading to behavioral and biochemical changes. We hypothesized that the anatomical and functional facets of the brain could be protected with powerful antioxidants such as piperine and curcumin by examining their effects individually and in combination in delaying senescence induced by d-galactose. Young adult male Wistar rats were treated with piperine (12 mg/kg) alone, and curcumin (40 mg/kg) alone; and in combination for a period of 49 days by the oral route with treatment being initiated a week prior to d-galactose (60 mg/kg, i.p.). A control group, d-galactose alone and naturally aged control were also evaluated. Behavioral tests, hippocampal volume, CA1 neuron number, oxidative parameters, formation of lipofuscin like autofluorescent substances, neurochemical estimation, and histopathological changes in CA1 region of hippocampus were established. Our results suggest that the combination exerted a superior response compared to monotherapy as evidenced by improved spatial memory, reduced oxidative burden, reduced accumulation of lipofuscin; improvement in signaling, increase in hippocampal volume and protection of hippocampal neurons. We speculate that the powerful antioxidant nature of both, augmented response of curcumin in the presence of piperine and enhanced serotoninergic signaling was responsible for improved cognition and prevention in senescence.
衰老是与精神能力和功能能力的逐渐下降相关的。有丝分裂后组织由于氧化损伤而最容易发生改变，从而导致行为和生化变化。我们假设，通过单独检查它们的作用以及在组合中检查它们的作用，可以保护大脑的解剖和功能方面免受强大的抗氧化剂如胡椒碱和姜黄素的影响，以延迟由 D-半乳糖引起的衰老。通过口服途径，将年轻成年雄性 Wistar 大鼠用胡椒碱（12mg/kg）单独处理，并用姜黄素（40mg/kg）单独处理；并在 49 天的时间内进行组合治疗，在 D-半乳糖（60mg/kg，ip）之前一周开始治疗。还评估了对照组、单独的 D-半乳糖和自然衰老对照组。建立了行为测试、海马体积、CA1 神经元数量、氧化参数、类脂褐素样自发荧光物质的形成、神经化学估计以及海马 CA1 区的组织病理学变化。我们的结果表明，与单药治疗相比，联合治疗产生了更好的反应，这表现在空间记忆改善、氧化负荷降低、脂褐素积累减少、信号转导改善、海马体积增加以及海马神经元保护方面。我们推测，两种物质的强大抗氧化性质，以及胡椒碱存在时姜黄素的增强反应和增强的 5-羟色胺能信号传导，是改善认知和预防衰老的原因。
