A comparative Study of the Effects of Virgin Coconut Oil and Vitamin D on Alzheimer’s Disease Induced by Aluminium Chloride in Male Albino Rats Hippocampus

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disorder that is leading to dementia worldwide. This study aims to determine the effects of virgin coconut oil and vitamin D on AD induced by aluminum chloride in rats. Thirty adult male Albino Wister rats were divided into five groups (six rats for each group).The first group served as a control group; the second group was given an oral dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. AlCl3 every day for 6 weeks; and the third group was supplemented with VD orally daily at a dose of 500 IU/kg b.w. for 6 weeks and an oral dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. AlCl3 after one hour. The fourth group was given an oral dose of 5 ml of VCO and a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. after one hour of AlCl3 daily. The last group received an oral dose of 1.5 mg/kg b.w. of Rivastigmine (RT) daily and an oral dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. of AlCl3 after one hour. After six weeks, the behavioral test was performed in rats to assess learning and memory, and physiological and histological studies was made in the hippocampus and blood plasma to determine the effect of VCO and VD on AlCl3-induced AD in rats. AlCl3 led to a significant decrease in the memory and learning maze test. Further, a significant increase in AchE, LPO, and NFL, along with a significant decrease in DA, reduced GSH and SOD. In the hippocampus histological examination, we observed an increase in neuronal loss in AlCl3-treated rats. While VCO and VD-treated rats showed a reduction in the damage caused by AlCl3 associated with improvements in behavioral and physiological alterations. According to this study, a daily oral dosage of VCO and VD improves learning and memory in AD rats.

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