Red Palm Oil Prevents Congestive Impairment In A Rat Model Of D-Galactose-Induced Aging

ABSTRACT Background and Aim: Age has a significant impact on neurodegenerative disease vulnerability. During aging, the level of oxidative stress is increasing that cause damage on the neurons, mitochondria, protein and DNA. Hence, brain aging has become a major risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer?s disease and Parkinson disease. This study was carried out to determine the effectiveness of red palm oil (RPO) in preventing Alzheimer?s disease (AD) induced in rat as RPO that is known as natural sources that rich with antioxidant properties. Materials and Method: Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (n=8) that comprised of normal control group (saline water), negative control (D-Galactose, 100mg/kg), two treatment groups that were administered by RPO daily (200 and 400 mg/kg) and Donepezil, (0.25 mg/kg) were given as positive control for 21-days. Y-maze spontaneous alternation test was done weekly to evaluate the spatial working memory of the rats. At the end of treatment, biomarkers of oxidative stress such as GSH, SOD and neurotransmitter biomarkers, dopamine in the blood were measured through ELISA. Results: Rat pre-treated with RPO showed significant improvement in exploring new area as compared to untreated rat (p < 0.05). On the other hand, current results showed high level of dopamine and GSH in rats treated with RPO compared to D-galactose induced rat after 21 days of pre-treatment (p < 0.05). Meanwhile total SOD was increased in all group that were induced with D-galactose. Conclusions: Overall, RPO has been proven can improve cognitive impairment in rat with brain aging. This is owing to the antioxidant properties of RPO which play a vital role in preventing oxidative stress. In the future, RPO could appear as novel therapeutic molecular for brain disease. ?