Aim: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by multiple cognitive deficits, behavioural disorders, mood changes and neurohistological alterations including neurofibrillary degeneration, and development of plaques and tangles of fibrous proteins in the brain. Novel natural antioxidants from plants like Viscum album may offer an effective and safe means of bolstering the body’s defence against free radicals and thereby provide protection against Alzheimer’s like problems. The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective and cognitive enhancing prospects of Viscum album in Alzheimer’s disease Model.

Methods: Aluminium chloride (150mg/kg) was administered daily for 21 days significantly; the ‘Y’ Maze and Novel Object Recognition (NOR) Tests were employed to assess neurobehavioral indices before scarification.

Result: Chronic treatment with Viscum album extract (100mg/kg, orally) for a period of 21days, simultaneously with aluminium chloride administration; and also beginning 10days after AlCl3 administration, significantly attenuated aluminium chloride-induced memory impairment and oxidative damage. Thus, the present study indicates protective and therapeutic prospects of Viscum album against AlCl3 induced cognitive impairment and associated neurodegeneration compared to the control mice (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: This novel study demonstrates that Viscum album has neuroprotective, therapeutic, as well as cognitive-enhancing potentials in ameliorating Aluminium Chloride-induced neuropathology.

 

Key Words: Alzheimer’s disease, Viscum album, Neurodegeneration.