Graduation Program of Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
Neurochem Res. 2024 Dec;49(12):3383-3395. doi: 10.1007/s11064-024-04248-z. Epub 2024 Sep 20.
Population aging is a global reality driven by increased life expectancy. This demographic phenomenon is intrinsically linked to the epidemic of cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease, posing challenges for elderly and their families. In this context, the search for new therapeutic strategies to prevent or minimize cognitive impairments becomes urgent, as these deficits are primarily associated with oxidative damage and increased neuroinflammation. Ferulic acid (FA), a natural and potent antioxidant compound, is proposed to be nanoencapsulated to target the central nervous system effectively with lower doses and an extended duration of action. Here, we evaluated the effects of the nanoencapsulated FA on d-galactose (d-Gal)- induced memory impairments. Male Wistar adult rats were treated with ferulic acid-loaded nanocapsules (FA-Nc) or non-encapsulated ferulic acid (D-FA) for 8 weeks concurrently with d-Gal (150 mg/kg s.c.) injection. As expected, our findings showed that d-Gal injection impaired memory processes and increased anxiety behavior, whereas FA-Nc treatment ameliorated these behavioral impairments associated with the aging process induced by d-Gal. At the molecular level, nanoencapsulated ferulic acid (FA-Nc) ameliorated the decrease in ACh and glutamate induced by d-galactose (d-Gal), and also increased GABA levels in the dorsal hippocampus, indicating its therapeutic superiority. Additional studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying our current promising outcomes. Nanoscience applied to pharmacology can reduce drug dosage, thereby minimizing adverse effects while enhancing therapeutic response, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging. Therefore, the strategy of brain-targeted drug delivery through nanoencapsulation can be effective in mitigating aging-related factors that may lead to cognitive deficits.
人口老龄化是由预期寿命延长驱动的全球现实。这种人口现象与认知障碍（如痴呆症和阿尔茨海默病）的流行密切相关，给老年人及其家庭带来了挑战。在这种情况下，寻找新的治疗策略来预防或最小化认知障碍变得紧迫，因为这些缺陷主要与氧化损伤和神经炎症增加有关。阿魏酸（FA）是一种天然有效的抗氧化化合物，据提议进行纳米封装，以便用更低的剂量和更长的作用持续时间有效地靶向中枢神经系统。在这里，我们评估了纳米封装的 FA 对半乳糖（d-Gal）诱导的记忆障碍的影响。雄性 Wistar 成年大鼠同时接受阿魏酸负载纳米胶囊（FA-Nc）或非封装阿魏酸（D-FA）治疗 8 周，同时皮下注射半乳糖（150mg/kg）。正如预期的那样，我们的研究结果表明，d-Gal 注射会损害记忆过程并增加焦虑行为，而 FA-Nc 治疗可改善与 d-Gal 诱导的衰老过程相关的这些行为损伤。在分子水平上，纳米封装的阿魏酸（FA-Nc）改善了 d-半乳糖（d-Gal）引起的 ACh 和谷氨酸的减少，并增加了背侧海马中的 GABA 水平，表明其治疗优势。需要进一步的研究来阐明我们目前有希望的结果的机制。纳米科学在药理学中的应用可以减少药物剂量，从而最大限度地减少不良反应，同时增强治疗反应，特别是在与衰老相关的神经退行性疾病中。因此，通过纳米封装进行靶向脑的药物递送策略可以有效地减轻可能导致认知缺陷的与衰老相关的因素。
