Shikonin ameliorates D-galactose-induced oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in mice via the MAPK and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway

•Shikonin ameliorates D-gal induced cognitive impairment.•Shikonin ameliorates D-gal induced oxidative stress, astrocyte activation and neuronal damage in brain of D-gal induced mice.•Shikonin inhibited MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathway in brain of D-gal induced mice. Oxidative stress acts as the major causative factor for various age‐associated neurodegenerative diseases, triggering cognitive and memory impairments. In the present study, the underlying neuroprotective mechanism governing how shikonin acts against D-galactose (D-gal)-induced memory impairment, neuroinflammation and neuron damage was examined. The results revealed that chronic administration of D-gal [150 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)] in mice caused cognitive and memory impairments, as determined by Morris water-maze test. Shikonin treatment, however, alleviated D‐gal-induced memory impairment and reversed the D‐gal-induced neural damage and apoptosis. Furthermore, western blotting and the results of morphological analysis revealed that shikonin treatments markedly reduced D‐gal induced neuroinflammation through inhibition of astrocytosis as determined by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) detection, and downregulating other inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. Moreover, shikonin treatment led to inhibition of the activation of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), preventing neurodegeneration. Hence, taken together, the results of the present study suggested that shikonin attenuated D‐gal-induced memory impairment, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, possibly via the NF‐κB/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Our data suggest that shikonin could be a promising, endogenous and compatible antioxidant candidate for age‐associated neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.