Effects of Nostoc Commune Extract on the Cerebral Oxidative and Neuroinflammatory Status in a Mice Model of Schizophrenia

Abstract

Abstract Cyanobacterium Nostoc commune has long been used to alleviate various diseases. This research aims to examine the effects of Nostoc commune extract (NCE) against behavioral disorders, cerebral oxidative stress, and inflammatory damage in the ketamine-induced schizophrenia model. Oral NCE administration (70 and 150 mg/kg/d) is performed after intraperitoneal ketamine injection (20 mg/kg) for 14 consecutive days. The forced swimming and open field tests are used to assess schizophrenia-like behaviors. After the behavioral test, dopamine (DA) level, oxidative stress markers, as well as the interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression are measured in the cerebral cortex. Based on the obtained results, NCE treatment ameliorates KET-induced anxiety and depressive-like behaviors in OFT and FST, respectively. NCE considerably decreases the malondialdehyde (MDA) and DA levels, as well as IL-6 and TNF-α expressions, in mice with schizophrenia-like symptoms. Also, a significant increase is observed in the glutathione (GSH) level and catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GRx) activity in cerebral tissue. The present study shows that NCE treatment effectively improves KET-induced schizophrenia-like behaviors and oxidative and inflammatory damage. Therefore, NCE, via its bioactive constituents, could have strong neuroprotective effects in the schizophrenia-like model.