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. 2025 Mar 28;56(2):122.
doi: 10.1007/s10735-025-10406-6.

Efficacy of curcumin-selenium nanoemulsion in alleviating oxidative damage induced by aluminum chloride in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Safaa M Awad  1 , Yasser A Attia  2 , Hassan ElSayed  3 , Shams H Abdelhafez  4 , Akaber T Keshta  5 , Eman Rashad  6 , Heba M A Khalil  7 , Aziza T Fathy  1
Affiliations

Efficacy of curcumin-selenium nanoemulsion in alleviating oxidative damage induced by aluminum chloride in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Safaa M Awad et al. J Mol Histol. .

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurological disorder primarily affecting older adults. A hallmark of this condition is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to increased oxidative stress and cellular damage. Treatment with a curcumin-selenium nanoemulsion has been shown to enhance behavioural performance and mitigate degenerative changes induced by aluminium chloride (AlCl3). This nanoemulsion also reduced the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and lowered levels of key proteins, including Aβ, p53, tau, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Additionally, it significantly decreased nitric oxide (NO) levels in the brain while enhancing the activity of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The study highlights the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the curcumin-selenium nanoemulsion, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic option for alleviating AD induced by AlCl3. These results are further supported by improvements in the histological structure of the cortex and hippocampus, as well as enhanced immunohistochmical assessment of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Cur- Se-nanoemulsion, the current drug delivery technology, may lower the amount of amyloid-β in AD rat brain and considerably ameliorate the memory deficit that improve therapy efficacy in AD lesions.

Keywords: Aluminum chloride; Alzheimer's disease (AD); Antioxidant; Behavioural assessment; Curcumin NPs; Selenium NPs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The use of animals in this study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt [Vet CU18042024897]. All procedures were conducted in compliance with ethical guidelines for experimental animal use. This study is reported in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Consent for Publication: Not applicable.

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