Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of imperatorin on oxidative stress response in the hippocampus in the mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) induced by intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ_1-42.Imperatorin (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) was injected by intraperitoneally once a day for 13 consecutive days from the day of surgery.The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS),malondialdehyde (MDA),total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC),nitric oxide (NO) and the activities of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS),superoxide dismutase (SOD),catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the hippocampus were determined,and the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein was detected by western blot.The results showed that imperatorin significantly reduced ROS,MDA,and NO contents and iNOS activities,increased levels of SOD,CAT,GSH-Px and T-AOC,and up-regurated the protein expression of Nrf2 as compared with AD model group.Our study suggests that imperatorin treatment can significantly attenuate oxidative stress injury in the Aβ_1-42 induced AD mice,and the mechanisms may be associated with the inhibition of production of active oxygen radicals and lipid peroxides,and enhancement of the antioxidant capacity in the mice.

Key words: imperatorin, Aβ_1-42., Alzheimer’s disease, hippocampus, oxidative stress