SuanZaoRen Decoction (SZRD) showed therapeutic improvements on Alzheimer's-related neuronal loss, synaptic damage, and ferroptosis, by regulating the DJ-1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.
In this study, Liquid chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was utilized to identify the active ingredients from SuanZaoRen Decoction (SZRD). This was then applied to a genetically engineered mouse model (APP/PS1 mouse) for Alzheimer's disease, which was also treated with a ferroptosis inhibitor, Liproxstatin-1, as a control. Various forms of staining, along with immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy were used to evaluate the effects of SZRD on factors such as neuronal loss, synaptic damage, and amyloid-beta deposition. Other methods, like iron staining and an iron assay kit, measured SZRD's impact on ferroptosis.
SZRD was found to have alleviated learning and memory impairments in the mouse model, with notable improvements in terms of neuronal loss and degenerated neurons, achieved through the inhibition of amyloid-beta deposits. Additionally, SZRD mitigated synaptic damage and inhibited iron accumulation in the hippocampus - an area significantly affected by Alzheimer's disease. More importantly, SZRD was found to regulate the DJ-1/Nrf2 signaling pathway, affecting protein expression levels and contributing towards an overall decrease in oxidative stress in the hippocampus.
