Neuroprotective effects of biogenic gold nanoparticles from Fagonia arabica in SK-N-SH cells and in vivo ICV-STZ mouse model: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cognitive enhancement potential in Alzheimer’s disease

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) pose significant challenges to modern medicine. Its global prevalence is rising sharply, primarily among older adults. AD pathology is multifactorial, involving amyloid-β, tau dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, making therapy challenging. Greensynthesized nanoparticles offer a promising targeted approach to enhance cognition and mitigate AD pathology. This study aimed to explore the neuroprotective potential of Fagonia arabica and its green-synthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The research focused on evaluating the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective potential of F. arabica through in silico, in vitro, and in vivo animal models. The dried plant material underwent sequential solvent extraction with hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and distilled water. The resulting extracts were subjected to phytochemical analyses, identifying important classes of phytochemicals like flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols. The aqueous extract was further analyzed for total phenols and flavonoids, with contents found to be 2450.35 µg GAE/g and 1980.29 µg QE/g, respectively. In silico analysis revealed strong binding affinities of the plant's phytochemicals to key inflammatory and neuroprotective targets, particularly the compound veridiflorol.