A large body of experimental evidence supports a role for oxidative stress as a mediator of nerve cell death in Parkinson-s disease (PD). Phytoestrogens such as genistein have been reported to prevent neuronal degeneration caused by increased oxidative burden, therefore, this study examined whether genistein administration at a high dose would attenuate behavioral and structural abnormalities in an experimental model of PD in rat. For this purpose, unilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 12.5 μg/5 μL of saline-ascorbate)- lesioned rats were intraperitoneally pretreated with a single and high dose of genistein (10 mg/kg) 1 h before surgery. Apomorphine-induced rotations and the number of Nissl-stained neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) were counted after 2 weeks. Genistein administration could attenuate the rotational behavior in lesioned rats and protect the neurons of SNC against 6-OHDA toxicity. Genistein administration has a protective effect against 6-OHDA toxicity. 

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by increased beta-amyloid (A beta) deposition and neuronal dysfunction leading to impaired learning and recall. Ageing, heredity, and induced oxidative stress are among proposed risk factors. The increased frequency of the disease in women also suggests a role for estrogen in development of AD. In the present study, effects of the phytoestrogen genistein (10 mg/kg) on learning and memory impairments was assessed in intrahippocampal A beta((1-40))-injected rats. The estrogen receptor antagonist fulvestrant was injected intracerebroventricularly in a group of A beta-lesioned rats. The A beta-injected animals exhibited the following: lower spontaneous alternation score in Y-maze tasks, impaired retention and recall capability in the passive avoidance test, and fewer correct choices and more errors in the RAM task. Genistein, but not genistein and fulvestrant, significantly improved most of these parameters. Measurements of oxidative stress markers in hippocampal tissue of A beta-injected rats showed an elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite content, and a reduction of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Genistein significantly attenuated the increased MDA content but did not affect the nitrite content or SOD activity. These results indicate that genistein pretreatment ameliorates A beta-induced impairment of short-term spatial memory in rats through an estrogenic pathway and by inducing attenuation of oxidative stress.

We addressed the question of whether injection of Amyloid beta (Aβ)(1-40) in the rat brain is associated with pathology in the hippocampus, and if genistein has any protective effect against the neuronal damage caused by Aβ(1-40). Genistein is a plant-derived compound with a structure similar to that of the female sex hormone estrogen and it was recently shown that pretreatment with a single dose of genistein ameliorated learning and memory deficits in an (Aβ)(1-40) rat model of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we report that injection of the amyloid peptide into the hippocampus of rats led to formation of Aβ(1-40) positive aggregates close to the lateral blade of the dentate gyrus (DGlb). We also observed the following in the hippocampus: extensive cell death in the DGlb (P<0.0001), CA1 (P=0.03), and CA3 (P=0.002); an increased number of iNOS-expressing cells (P=0.01) and gliosis. Genistein given to rats by gavage 1h before injection of Aβ(1-40) inhibited the formation of Aβ(1-40) positive aggregates in the brain tissue and led to increased number of nNOS(+) (P=0.0001) cells in the hippocampus compared to sham-operated genistein-treated controls. Treatment with genistein also alleviated the extensive astrogliosis that occurred in Aβ(1-40)-injected hippocampus to a level similar to that observed in sham-operated rats. We conclude that the neurons in the DGlb are most sensitive to Aβ(1-40), and a single dose of genistein can ameliorate Aβ(1-40) induced pathology.

Astrocytes are highly involved in regulation and homeostasis of the extracellular environment in the healthy brain. In pathological conditions, these cells play a major role in the inflammatory response seen in CNS tissues, which is called reactive astrogliosis and includes hypertrophy, proliferation, and remodeling. Here, we performed 3D confocal microscopy to evaluate the morphology of reactive glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP-positive) astrocytes in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease, and we also assessed the effect of the antiinflammatory agent genistein on amyloid-beta-induced astrogliosis. In 50 astrocytes/animal, we measured the area and volume of the nucleus, cell body, astrocyte (soma and branches) and territory (tissue covered by each astrocyte), and total length of the branches. Moreover, we quantified the intensity of GFAP immunoreactivity in the hippocampus. Injecting amyloid beta (Aβ)_1–40 into the brain caused astrogliosis, observed as significantly higher GFAP intensity in the hippocampus, and also led to significant enlargement of astrocytes in this area, indicated by increased values for all the above-mentioned parameters. In Aβ_1–40-injected rats pretreated with genistein, GFAP intensity was decreased to the level seen in the shamoperated group, and Aβ_1–40-induced enlargement of astrocytes was significantly inhibited. Interestingly, genistein also ameliorated the astrogliosis that was initiated by mechanical injury caused by insertion of the injection needle into the brain tissue. This  was indicated by the observation that the mean cell body volume and area of astrocytes were significantly smaller in the genistein-treated rats, even in comparison with the sham-operated animals.