Alzheimer's Disease Supplement Project

This project investigated the effect of a water extract of Centella asiatica (CAW) on neuroinflammation in the 5xFAD mouse model of beta-amyloid accumulation and explored whether mode of CAW administration (delivering CAW in the diet versus in the drinking water) impacted plasma levels of CAW active compounds. CAW was administered to eight-to-nine-month-old male and female 5xFAD and wild-type mice in the diet or in the drinking water at a dose of 0 or 1000 mg/kg/day for five weeks. Expression of beta-amyloid protein, glilal fibriallary acidic protein, and Griffonia simplicifolia lectin I in the cortex and hippocampus were evaulated using immunohistochemistry. Gene expression of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the deep grey matter was measured. Plasma concentrations of CAW active compounds (triterpenes, caffeoylquinic acids) were assessed and compared between the two modes of administration (diet versus drinking water).