Protective effects of perindopril on d-galactose and aluminum trichloride induced neurotoxicity via the apoptosis of mitochondria-mediated intrinsic pathway in the hippocampus of mice

•d-Galactose and aluminum trichloride induced apoptosis in the hippocampus of mice.•Perindopril decreased the activities of caspase-3, caspase-9 in the hippocampus.•The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax in the hippocampus was elevated by perindopril.•Perindopril has no effect on the expression of Fas, FasL and caspase-8.•Neuroprotective effects of perindopril via apoptosis of intrinsic pathway.

Perindopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, has been reported to improve learning and memory in a mouse or rat model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) induced by injection of beta-amyloid protein. However, the exact mechanism of perindopril on the cognitive deficits is not fully understood. Our previous data have indicated that perindopril improves learning and memory in a mouse model of AD induced by d-galactose (d-gal) and aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) via inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress. Whether perindopril also inhibit apoptosis to prevent cognitive decline remains unknown in mice. Therefore, the present study explored the protective effects of perindopril in the hippocampus of mice further. Perindopril (0.5 mg/kg/day) was administered intragastrically for 60 days after the mice were given a d-gal (150 mg/kg/day) and AlCl3 (10 mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally for 90 days. Then the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Fas, FasL, caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 were analyzed by RT-PCR and western blotting in the hippocampus. Perindopril significantly decreased caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities, and elevated Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the hippocampus. However, the expression of Fas, FasL and caspase-8 did not change in the hippocampus whether treatment with d-gal and AlCl3 or perindopril. Taken together, the above findings indicated that perindopril inhibited apoptosis in the hippocampus may be another mechanism by which perindopril improves learning and memory functions in d-gal and AlCl3 treated mice.