Introduction: We investigated the effect of African eggplant (AE) (Solanum macrocarpon L) and Black nightshade (BN) (Solanum nigrum L) leaves; two tropical vegetables consumed by humans on behavioural, biochemical and histological indices in Drosophila melanogaster model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Materials and method: Transgenic flies expressing human Amyloid Precursor Protein (hAPP) and β-secretase (hBACE 1) were exposed to the pulverised leaf samples (0.1 and 1.0%) in their diets for fourteen days. Thereafter, the flies were assessed for their behavioural indices and routine histology of brain cells. Furthermore, fly head homogenates were assayed for β-amyloid level, activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and β-secretase (BACE-1), as well as oxidative stress markers.
Results: Result showed that the significantly lower (p < 0.05) behavioural parameters (survival, locomotor performance and memory index), higher AChE and BACE-1 activities, β-amyloid, ROS and lipid peroxidation levels, as well as reduced antioxidant indices observed in the AD flies, were significantly ameliorated (p < 0.05) in AD flies treated with the leaf samples.
Discussion: This study has showed that leaves of AE and BN ameliorated behavioural and biochemical indices in AD flies via neural enzyme modulatory, and antioxidant mechanisms.
Conclusion: Hence, this study further justifies the neuroprotective properties of both AE and BN.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Drosophila melanogaster; Solanum spp; transgene.