Oral administration of encapsulated catechin in chitosan‐alginate nanoparticles improves cognitive function and neurodegeneration in an aluminum chloride‐induced rat model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the effect of catechin‐loaded Chitosan‐Alginate nanoparticles (NPs) on cognitive function in an aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 )‐induced rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Catechin‐loaded Chitosan‐Alginate nanocarriers were synthesized through ionotropic gelation (IG) method. Physio‐chemical characterization was conducted with the Zetasizer Nano system, the scanning electron microscope, and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The experiments were performed over 21 days on six groups of male Wistar rats. The control group, AlCl 3 treated group, Catechin group, nanocarrier group, treatment group 1 (AlCl 3 + Catechin), and treatment group 2 (AlCl 3 + nanocarrier). A behavioral study was done by the Morris water maze (MWM) test. In addition, the level of oxidative indices and acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity was determined by standard procedures at the end of the study. AlCl 3 induced a significant increase in AChE activity, along with a significant decrease in the level of Catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the hippocampus. Moreover, the significant effect of AlCl 3 was observed on the behavioral parameters of the MWM test. Both forms of Catechin markedly improved AChE activity, oxidative biomarkers, spatial memory, and learning. The present study indicated that the administration of Catechin‐loaded Chitosan‐Alginate NPs is a beneficial therapeutic option against behavioral and chemical alteration of AD in male Wistar rats.