Effect of Beta asarone on concentration of TNF-α in a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease

Beta asarone which is the major component of Acorus tatarinowii Schott, can pass through the blood-brain-barrier and affect the central nervous system. In the present study, effect of beta asarone on TNF-α level was investigated in β-amyloid-induced alzheimeric male rats. The adult male rats were randomly divided into 9 groups of 6: normal control, sham-operated control, β-asarone (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg PO, daily for 50 days), alzheimeric control (bilateral intrahippocampal injection of 4 µl of β-amyloid 1-42) and alzheimeric β-asarone receiving (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg PO β-asarone daily for 30 days following β-amyloid injection and subsequent doses of beta asarone for 3 weeks). The rats were sacrificed at the end of the experiment and the TNF-α level was measured in brain homogenate. Our results showed that administration of β-asarone (25 and 50 mg/kg) significantly decreased the TNF-α level (p<0.001) in alzheimeric rats. Thus, these results indicate that β-asarone is effective in providing protection against inflammation induced by β-amyloid.