Can Quercetin protect against the pre-disposing factors for Alzheimer's disease via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome pathway?

Objectives: The brain and its cognitive functions are most liable to stress, where it is known to promote the pathological manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 2-week-period of restraint stress (RS), as well as the protective effect of Quercetin in a dose-dependent manner against the early start of AD via studying the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway.

Methods: The rats were divided into four groups: control (Con), induction (Ind), where 6 h/day for 2 weeks of RS was induced, low and high doses of Q (Q1+Ind and Q2+Ind, respectively), which were administered before the induction of RS for the same period. Behavioral tests were performed to assess the cognitive functions.

Key findings: The higher dose of Q has shown more inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, oxidative stress, as well as the phosphorylated-tau and amyloid-β (Aβ) protein, which were significantly fired up by the 2 weeks of RS. These results were backed with the improved cellular structure in the histopathological examination and enhanced cognitive functions, where the two doses of Q have shown their protective effect.

Conclusions: This proves that Q shielded the brain against the initial pathogenesis of AD, induced by 2 weeks of RS.