Nurina Titisari, Ahmad Fauzi, Intan Shameha Abdul Razak, Nurdiana Samsulrizal, Hafandi Ahmad
Background: Tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are neurodegenerative conditions characterized by the accumulation of abnormally phosphorylated tau protein, often exacerbated by comorbid metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus. This study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of Menhaden Fish Oil (MFO), a rich source of preformed omega-3 fatty acids, on tau pathology in a streptozotocin-lipopolysaccharide (STZ-LPS)-induced rat model that mimics diabetes-associated AD. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were grouped into five distinct groups and subjected to treatment with either normal saline or MFO (1 g/kg or 3 g/kg) for 21 days, followed by biochemical, immunofluorescence microscopy, and RT-qPCR analyses. Results: MFO administration significantly reduced total tau protein levels and tau hyperphosphorylation at Ser202 in both the cortex and hippocampus. It also upregulated AKT-1 expression while downregulating GSK-3 and CASP-3, suggesting modulation of the AKT/GSK-3 signaling pathway. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that MFO supplementation mitigates tau pathology and neuronal apoptosis in a metabolic-inflammatory model of AD, supporting its potential as a dietary neuroprotective strategy. © 2025, University of the Philippines at Los Banos. All rights reserved.
Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia; Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, 65151, Indonesia; Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, 65151, Indonesia; Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
