Title:Zederone Improves the Fecal Microbial Profile in Dementia Induced Rat
Model: A First Report
Volume: 21
Issue: 4
Author(s): Sudarshana Borah, Priyanka Sarkar and Hemanta Kumar Sharma*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam
786004, India
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, gut bacteriome, DNA, metagenomic, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus.
Abstract: Background: Dementia correlates with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal
and cerebrovascular diseases. There are supporting shreds of evidence on the pharmacological
activity of curcuma caesia (Zingiberaceae family) for its antioxidant, antidepressant, analgesic,
anticonvulsant, and anti-acetylcholinesterase effect.
Objective: This study aims to analyze the fecal microbial profile in Zederone treated demented rat
model.
Methods: In our study, isolation and characterization of Zederone were carried out from curcuma
caesia rhizomes, followed by estimation of its memory-enhancing effect on Aluminium-induced demented
rat, which was evaluated by behavioural study on radial 8 arm maze. Moreover the detection
of amyloid plaque formation was carried out using fluorescent microscopy of the congo red-stained
rat brain tissues of the cerebral neocortex region. This study included eighteen female Wistar
Albino rats that were divided into three groups that consisted of six rats in each group. The
study of fecal microbial profile by metagenomic DNA extraction followed by next-generation sequencing
was carried out to establish the correlation between gut microbes and amyloid plaques in
dementia.
Results: Zederone could be characterized as pale yellow colored, needle-shaped crystals with
96.57% purity. This compound at 10 mg/kg body weight showed cognition improving capacity (p
≤ 0.0001) with a reduction of accumulated amyloid plaques that were detected in the demented
group in fluorescence microscope and fecal microbiome study divulged an increased shift towards
Lactobacillus genera in the treated group from Bacteroides in the demented group.
Conclusion: This sesquiterpenoid compound would assist in the modulation of gut bacterial dysbiosis
and act as a better therapeutic drug for dementia and other neurological disorders.