Nakai Alleviates Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease by Reducing β-Amyloid and Neuroinflammation.

Abstract

Recently, natural herbs have gained increasing attention owing to their comparatively low toxicity levels and the abundance of historical medical documentation regarding their use. Nevertheless, owing to a lack of knowledge regarding these herbs and their compounds, attempts to find those that could be beneficial for treating diseases have often been; thus, there is now a growing demand for anmethod to identify beneficial herbs. In this study, we present a computational approach for identifying natural herbs specifically effective in treating cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) sufferers, which analyzes the similarities between herbal compounds and known drugs targeting AD-related proteins. Ourmethod suggests thatcan improve cognitive decline in AD sufferers. Behavioral tests with an AD mouse model for the confirmation of theprediction reveals thatsignificantly alleviated the cognitive decline (memory and motor functions) caused by neurodegeneration. Further pathology analyses reveal thatdecreases the level of Aβ plaques, reduces neuroinflammation, and promotes autophagy flux, and thuscan be clinically effective for preventing mild cognitive impairment during the early stages of AD. These findings highlight the potential utility of ourmethod and the potential clinical application of the identified natural herb in treating and preventing AD.