The inhibitory effect of Curcumin-Artemisinin co-amorphous on Tau aggregation and Tau phosphorylation

Abstract

Tau is a natively unfolded microtubule-associated protein. Tau neurofibrillary tangles are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. The post-translational modifications of Tau lead to its pathological state. Phosphorylation is the key post-translational modification associated with Tauopathy. Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound present in the rhizomes of Curcuma longa. Curcumin has been reported to have remarkable medicinal properties in several diseases, but its poor solubility limits its therapeutic potency. Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone, which has been known sience ancient times for its applications as a treatment for various diseases such as malaria, cancer, autoimmune disease, etc. In the present study, the potency of crystalline curcumin, crystalline artemisinin, and Cur-Art co-amorphous dispersion were evaluated against Tau pathology. The in-vitro ThS/ANS fluorescence and electron microscopy results suggested that curcumin and Cur-Art efficiently inhibited Tau aggregation. Furthermore, exposure to curcumin and Cur-Art co-amorphous restored the impaired nuclear transport in formaldehyde-stressed cells. Curcumin was also found to modulate the phosphorylation of Tau, which indicated the neuroprotective potency. Thus, curcumin and Cur-Art co-amorphous exhibit therapeutic potential against Tau protein in Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords: Artemisinin; Curcumin; Phosphorylation; Tau aggregation.