FGF-18 alleviates memory impairments and neuropathological changes in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease
Date
Temmuz 202Author
Çiltaş, Arzuhan YeşildağKarabulut Sebahattin
Şahin, Bilal
Filiz, Ahmet Kemal
Yulak, Fatih
Özkaraca, Mustafa
Karatas, Özhan
Çetin, Ali
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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial pathology marked by amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation, tau hyper phosphorylation, and progressive cognitive decline. Previous studies show that fibroblast growth factor 18
(FGF18) exerts a neuroprotective effect in experimental models of neurodegeneration; however, how it affects
AD pathology remains unknown. This study aimed to ascertain the impact of FGF18 on the behavioral and
neuropathological changes in the rat model of sporadic AD induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of
streptozotocin (STZ). The rats were treated with FGF18 (0.94 and 1.88 pmol, ICV) on the 15th day after STZ
injection. Their cognitive function was assessed in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests for 5 days
from the 16th to the 21st days. Aβ levels and histological signs of neurotoxicity were detected using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay and histopathological analysis of the brain, respectively. FGF18
mildly ameliorated the STZ-induced cognitive impairment; the Aβ accumulation was reduced; and the neuronal
damage including pyknosis and apoptosis was alleviated in the rat brain. This study highlights the promising
therapeutic potential for FGF18 in managing AD.