Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the primary health problems linked to the decrease of acetylcholine in cholinergic neurons and elevation in oxidative stress. Myco-fabrication of ZnO-NPs revealed excellent biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potentials. This study aims to determine if two distinct doses of myco-fabricated ZnO-NPs have a positive impact on behavioral impairment and several biochemical markers associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in mice that have been treated by aluminum chloride (AlCl3) to induce AD. Sixty male mice were haphazardly separated into equally six groups. Group 1 was injected i.p. with 0.5 ml of deionized water daily during the experiment. Mice in group 2 received AlCl3 (50 mg/kg/day i.p.). Groups 3 and 4 were treated i.p. with 5 and 10 mg/kg/day of ZnO-NPs only, respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were given i.p. 5 and 10 mg/kg/day ZnO-NPs, respectively, add to 50 mg/kg/day AlCl3. Results showed that the AlCl3 caused an increase in the escape latency time and a reduction in the time spent in the target quadrant, indicating a decreased improvement in learning and memory. Moreover, acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) levels were significantly increased, and the content of glutathione (GSH), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), as well as levels of serotonin and dopamine, were decreased in brain tissues only in AlCl3 treated mice. However, treatment of mice with myco-fabrication of ZnO-NPs at doses of 5 or 10 mg/kg improves learning and memory function through ameliorate all the previous parameters in the AD mice group. The low dose of 5 mg/kg is more effective than a high dose of 10 mg/kg. In accordance with these findings, myco-fabricated ZnO-NPs could enhance memory and exhibit a protective influence against memory loss caused by AlCl3.