Cholecalciferol improves cognitive impairment by amending impaired insulin signaling in sporadic Alzheimers Disease Rats

Abstract

Alzheimers disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and contributes to 50-70% of neurodegenerative brain diseases. AD has been associated with poor vitamin D nutrition, which is correlated with low mood and impaired cognitive performance in older people. The impact of vitamin D on the insulin signaling pathway in AD is not well known. Hence, this study was to explore the effects of cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) on the expression of IRS-1, IRS-2, Akt, pAkt (Ser473), and GLUT3 in the sporadic AD rat model. The rats were induced to develop sporadic AD by intraperitoneal administration of Scopolamine. The downregulation expression of IRS-1, IRS-2, Akt, pAkt (Ser473) and GLUT3 may lead to impaired insulin signaling which is associated with the development of AD. All these data were compared to Saline-treated control rats. However, cholecalciferol treatment in AD rats may improve memory performance by increasing the expression of insulin signaling proteins and hence ameliorates impaired insulin signaling. All these data were compared to Scopolamine-induced AD rats and sunflower oil-treated rats. Therefore, cholecalciferol treatment may be an alternative approach for the treatment of AD.