A Novel Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease

Pomegranate, which contains very high levels of anti-oxidant polyphenolic substances, beta- secretase inhibitors and several other bioactive compounds is consumed all over the world without much knowledge of its medicinal properties. Polyphenols have been shown to be neuroprotective in different animal models. There are no proven ways to delay the onset or slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of pomegranate juice on memory deficits in mice and rats. A total of 216 Swiss mice and 72 Wistar rats were used in the present study. The exteroceptive behavioral models employed in the present study were elevated plus maze, passive avoidance apparatus and Hebb-William’s maze. Pomegranate juice (10% v/v) produced significant improvement in the memory of young and aged rodents and reversed the amnesia induced by diazepam (1 mg/ kg, i.p.) and scopolamine (0.4 mg/kg, i.p.). Furthermore, pomegranate juice inhibited significantly the brain acetylcholinesterase activity, diminished peripheral cholesterol and brain malondialdehyde levels. Pomegranate juice appears to be a useful anti- Alzheimer medicine on account of its multifarious beneficial effects such as memory improving effect, cholesterol lowering property, anti-cholinesterase and anti-oxidant activity. Therefore, pomegranate juice may be exploited clinically for the management of Alzheimer’s disease.