Effects of quercetin-conjugated with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on learning and memory improvement through targeting microRNAs/NF-κB pathway

Quercetin-conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (QCSPIONs) have an ameliorative effect on diabetes-induced memory impairment. The current study aimed to compare the effect of quercetin (QC) and QCSPIONs on inflammation-related microRNAs and NF-κB signaling pathways in the hippocampus of diabetic rats. The expression levels of miR-146a, miR-9, NF-κB, and NF-κB-related downstream genes, including TNF-α, BACE1, AβPP, Bax, and Bcl-2 were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. To determine the NF-κB activity, immunohistochemical expression of NF-κB/p65 phosphorylation was employed. Computer simulated docking analysis also performed to find the QC target proteins involved in the NF-κB pathway. Results indicate that diabetes significantly upregulated the expression levels of miR-146a, miR-9, TNF-α, NF-κB, and subsequently AβPP, BACE1, and Bax. Expression analysis shows that QCSPIONs are more effective than pure QC in reducing the expression of miR-9. Interestingly, QCSPIONs reduce the pathological activity of NF-κB and subsequently normalize BACE1, AβPP, and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 expression better than pure QC. Comparative docking analyses also show the stronger binding affinity of QC to IKK and BACE1 proteins compared to specific inhibitors of each protein. In conclusion, our study suggests the potent efficacy of QCSPIONs as a promising drug delivery system in memory improvement through targeting the NF-κB pathway.