PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF MOGROL NANOPARTICLES IN STZ INDUCED ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive dysfunction, neuroinflammation, amyloid pathology, and impaired neurotrophic signaling. The present study investigated the neuroprotective potential of mogrol and evaluated whether poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticle formulation could improve its therapeutic potential in an intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (ICV-STZ)-induced mouse model of AD. Molecular docking was performed to investigate the potential interaction of mogrol with an AD-associated molecular target. Mogrol-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and drug loading. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the novel object recognition test, while TNF-α and IL-1β levels were quantified by ELISA. The expression of BDNF, NLRP3, and β-amyloid was determined using real-time PCR. Mogrol exhibited a favorable docking score of −6.5 kcal/mol. Mogrol-PLGA nanoparticles showed a mean particle size of 168.7 ± 5.2 nm, PDI of 0.162 ± 0.011, zeta potential of −26.8 ± 1.7 mV, and encapsulation efficiency of 82.36 ± 2.47%. STZ significantly impaired recognition memory, increased TNF-α, IL-1β, NLRP3, and β-amyloid expression, and reduced BDNF expression. Both free mogrol and Mogrol-PLGA nanoparticles significantly reversed these alterations. Overall, mogrol demonstrated promising neuroprotective activity, while PLGA nanoencapsulation represents a potential strategy for improving its delivery in AD.