Role of Propolis as a pharmaceutical candidate on interleukin-1β proinflammatory cytokine expression in Alzheimer's rat

Background: One of the important factors that play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is inflammatory processes leading to impaired expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6, TNF-α, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Propolis, as a therapeutic compound, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of this compound on changes in IL-1β expression levels in AD rats. Materials and methods: 42 adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, including control, sham, Alzheimer, and propolis. Cellular changes in brain tissue was evaluated by preparing histopathologic slides and effect of propolis on changes in IL-1β expression levels were investigated using Real-Time PCR method. Results: Histopathologic investigations in the studied groups showed a significant difference between scopolamine-treated group compared to control and sham groups in terms of changes in the IL-1β expression levels and cellular damage; whereas there was no difference between the propolis-treated and scopolamine-treated groups in this regard; only-morphological difference in the organization of neurons were observed. The results of Real-Time PCR showed that the IL-1β expression level was significantly different in the propolis-treated group from the Alzheimer's group (p<0.05), indicating that propolis significantly decreased gene expression. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that propolis could be considered as an effective drug candidate for the AD treatment considering its anti-inflammatory property and effect on the decrease of IL-1β expression.