Elevated levels of
homocysteine (Hcy) in the blood, called
hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), is a prevalent risk factor for it has been shown that Hcy induces oxidative stress and increases microglial activation and
neuroinflammation, as well as causes
cognitive impairment, which have been linked to the neurodegenerative process. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mild
hyperhomocysteinemia with or without
ibuprofen and
rivastigmine treatments on the behavior and neurochemical parameters in male rats. The chronic mild HHcy model was chemically induced in Wistar rats by subcutaneous administration of Hcy (4055 mg/kg
body weight) twice daily for 30 days.
Ibuprofen (40 mg/kg) and
rivastigmine (0.5 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally once daily. Motor damage (open field, balance beam, rotarod, and vertical pole test), cognitive deficits (Y-maze), neurochemical parameters (oxidative status/
antioxidant enzymatic defenses, presynaptic
protein synapsin 1, inflammatory profile parameters,
calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1), iNOS gene expression), and
cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway were investigated. Results showed that mild HHcy caused cognitive deficits in working memory, and impaired motor coordination reduced the amount of
synapsin 1
protein, altered the neuroinflammatory picture, and caused changes in the activity of
catalase and
acetylcholinesterase enzymes. Both
rivastigmine and
ibuprofen treatments were able to mitigate this damage caused by mild HHcy. Together, these neurochemical changes may be associated with the mechanisms by which Hcy has been linked to a risk factor for AD. Treatments with
rivastigmine and
ibuprofen can effectively reduce the damage caused by increased Hcy levels.