Plants provide a wealth of bioactive compounds which aid in exerting a substantial strategy for the treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Here, the metal complexes of the curcumin ligand were synthesized with Mn(II) and Fe(III) salts, and characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods such as elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, FT-IR, AAS, TG and argentometry. Magnetic susceptibility data showed that complexes with 1 : 2 (metal : ligand) mole ratio had octahedral geometry. In vivo studies of the synthesized metal complexes had been carried out on Swiss albino male mice, to study their ability for reducing the accumulation of beta amyloid 25–35 protein which causes Alzheimer's disease. Memory experiments were performed with the plus maze test at behavioural pharmacology laboratory. LP rates of Aβ_25–35/curcumin and Aβ_25–35/Fe(III) complex groups were 80.79%, 88.21% and 75.35%, 81.71%, respectively. Consequently, the synthesized curcumin iron complex strengthened the memory. It was more effective than curcumin, when their latent period (LP) values were compared.

To investigate the apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects of metformin in human MCF7 breast cancer cells. The effect of metformin on cell viability was assessed by MTS and crystal violet assays, and its effect on cell migration was evaluated by the ...

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent type of dementia among older individuals, is characterized by severe neurodegeneration with symptoms of progressive loss of cognitive capacity. We aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin (Curc) and Inula viscosa (IV) plant extracts on apoptosis and oxidative stress in an amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced in vitro AD model.Material and methods: The human glioblastoma cell line (U87) was treated with Aβ to produce an in vitro AD model. Treatment groups were: Aβ + Curc, Aβ + IV, and Aβ + IV + Curc. Cell viability assay was performed to analyze cytotoxicity. Caspase-3 (CASP3) levels were measured to evaluate apoptosis. For oxidative stress, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant (TAS), and total oxidant (TOS) levels were analyzed spectrophotometrically.Results: Combinatory application of IV and Curc post-Aβ treatment increased cell viability of U87 cells. Aβ-upregulated CASP3 levels were markedly reduced upon IV and Curc co-treatment. Anti-oxidant parameters, i.e., SOD, CAT, GPx, and TAS levels, were significantly elevated in the IV + Curc-treated group compared to the Aβ group. The elevated TOS level after Aβ exposure returned to its basal level upon Curc + IV co-treatment.Conclusions: IV + Curc co-treatment reduced apoptosis-related neurodegeneration and supported antioxidant activity in an Aβ-induced AD model of U87 cells. IV and Curc co-treatment can be a promising therapeutic strategy against AD.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Inula viscosa extract and Curcumin on the U87 (human astrocytoma cell line) treated with amyloid-beta (Aβ), which is the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) model cell line. Materials and Methods: Firstly, the cytotoxic potential of ınula and curcumin was investigated in the U87 cells by the colorimetric MTT (3-4,5-dimethyl-thiazolyl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Then, the amount of Total Glutathione, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione reductase (GR) activities were investigated. ELISA test was used to examine the expression and activity of cleaved Bax and Bcl-2 proteins in the Inula viscosa and Curcumin treated U87 cell lines. Results: Inula viscosa and Curcumin treatment reduced cell death caused by amyloid-B in cells. It also reduced the oxidative stress caused by amyloid-B, while reducing the activation of the proapoptotic protein Bax, and Bcl-2. Conclusion: Our results suggest that inula viscosa may represent a new approach in the treatment of Alzheimer's.

Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, releasing corticosterone (CORT), which binds to glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid (MR) receptors in the brain. While stress influences behaviorally relevant network oscillations in limbic regions such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, the direct effects of CORT on these oscillations remain unclear. We examined the acute impact of CORT on anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) oscillations in adult male mice, a hub region for stress and anxiety regulation. Using an ex vivo slice model with cholinergic and glutamatergic activation, we induced beta (10-25 Hz) and slow-gamma (26-45 Hz) oscillations. Our findings show that CORT enhances high-frequency network activity in the ACC in a dose-dependent manner, following an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve, with 1 μM CORT producing significant increases in beta and gamma power. GR activation alone reproduced this effect: the GR agonist dexamethasone mimicked, and the GR antagonist mifepristone blocked, CORT-induced enhancement. MR activation had little effect, and MR antagonism did not prevent the action of CORT. Importantly, acute stress induced by fear conditioning elevated serum CORT levels and enhanced ACC oscillatory activity, with a positive correlation between CORT concentration and oscillation power. Both GR and MR were robustly expressed in the ACC, with expression unaffected by acute stress. These findings highlight the critical role of GR in mediating the effects of CORT on ACC oscillations, which could have implications for understanding neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia, where HPA dysfunction, impaired GR signaling, and altered ACC oscillatory activity are commonly observed.