Abstract

BIOCHEMICAL, HISTOLOGICAL AND GENETIC EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF CAPTOPRIL ON DEMENTIA IN WISTAR ALBINO MICE

Jincy. K. Benny A. and Dr. Shini Dominic A.*

Abstract

In the elaborate search of the recent times for an effective drug against dementia, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) have become a debated class of drugs due to the existence of both supporting and opposing arguments regarding their benefits in Alzheimer’s type dementia. In this study aimed to bring more clarity in this aspect, the centrally acting ACEI, captopril was evaluated for its biochemical, histological and genetic effects on AlCl3 induced mice model of memory impairment. Administration of captopril in two different doses of 5mg/kg and 10 mg/kg for 29 days produced a dose dependent and significant reversal of the AlCl3 induced adverse effects in the level of different biomarkers like acetyl cholinesterase(P<0.0001), glutathione (P<0.0001), serotonin (P<0.001), and malondialdehyde (P<0.001) in the brain homogenate of Wistar albino mice. Histological examination of the mice hippocampus also exhibited reversal of the AlCl3 induced neuronal damage by captopril. Moreover the decreased and increased expression of BACE-1 and BDNF gene produced by captopril also support its possible beneficial effects in conditions of dementia.

Keywords: Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Captopril.