ABSTRACT:
This research was conducted to investigate the effect of both agents to Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1a (HIF-1a), Neuroglobin (Ngb), and Caspase-3 in older rat brains as each of them are marker for hypoxic marker, an endogenous neuroprotectant, and apoptosis level in rat brain, respectively. In this research, the Samples were stored brain tissue from 24 Sprague dawley male rats. They were divided into five different treatment groups. There were four groups that were including old rats at age of 18-month old, which one group was untreated (Group A) and three groups were treated using: Acalypha indica (AI) 250 mg/kg body weight (Group B), Centella asiatica (CA) 300 mg/kg body weight (Group C), vitamin E 15 UI/kg body weight (Group D). In addition, there was one untreated group that was including young rats at age of 2-month old (Group E). This study found that HIF-1a in rat brain decreased significantly in older rat compared to younger rat and increased significantly in older rat given vitamin E compared to older rat. Caspase -3 in rat brain increased significantly in older rat given CA compared to older rat. this study showed the adaptation ability of 18-month-old rat decreased under hypoxic condition in aging process. The treatment of CA 300mg/kg/BW for 29 days increased Caspase-3 level in older rat brain.