Alzheimer's Disease Precursors and the Lipopolysaccharide Model: Attenuation by Withania Somnifera

A growing body of evidence implicates inflammation due to immune activation as a factor in the incidence and severity of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Recent studies have also supported the therapeutic qualities of ashwagandha, an extract from the plant Withania somnifera (WS) that is common in Ayurveda, the cultural medical practices of the Indian subcontinent. In this study, I investigated the effects of ashwagandha on the changes in both neuroinflammation and the APP pathway that result from administration of lipopolysaccharide, (LPS) the bacterial endotoxin. I hypothesized that pre-treatment with WS root powder in this LPS-based model would significantly reduce the abundance of inflammatory markers and of APP intermediates and therefore lend support for ashwagandha as a possible prophylactic measure for neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease.