Age-related differences in the effect of vitamin D on scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment

Studies have shown that gestational inflammation accelerates age-related memory impairment in mother mice. An enriched environment (EE) can improve age-related memory impairment, whereas mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of brain aging. However, it is unclear whether an EE can counteract the accelerated age-related memory impairment induced by gestational inflammation and whether this process is associated with the disruption of mitochondrial quality control (MQC) processes. In this study, CD-1 mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 μg/kg) or normal saline (CON group) during gestational days 15–17 and were separated from their offspring at the end of normal lactation. The mothers that received LPS were divided into LPS group and LPS plus EE (LPS-E) treatment groups based on whether the mice were exposed to an EE until the end of the experiment. At 6 and 18 months of age, the Morris water maze test was used to evaluate spatial learning and memory abilities. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure the messenber RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of MQC-related genes in the hippocampus, respectively. The results showed that all the aged (18 months old) mice underwent a striking decline in spatial learning and memory performances and decreased mRNA/protein levels related to mitochondrial dynamics (Mfn1/Mfn2, OPA1, and Drp1), biogenesis (PGC-1α), and mitophagy (PINK1/parkin) in the hippocampi compared with the young (6 months old) mice. LPS treatment exacerbated the decline in age-related spatial learning and memory and enhanced the reduction in the mRNA and protein levels of MQC-related genes but increased the levels of PGC-1α in young mice. Exposure to an EE could alleviate the accelerated decline in age-related spatial learning and memory abilities and the accelerated changes in MQC-related mRNA or protein levels resulting from LPS treatment, especially in aged mice. In conclusion, long-term exposure to an EE can counteract the accelerated age-related spatial cognition impairment modulated by MQC in CD-1 mother mice that experience inflammation during pregnancy.

Download Full-text

The Antioxidant Resveratrol from Polygonum Cuspidatum Reverses Memory Impairment and Brain Oxidative Stress in SAMP8 Mice

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.422.470 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 422 ◽

pp. 470-473

Author(s):

Gui Shan Liu ◽

Ze Sheng Zhang ◽

Bo Yang ◽

Wei He

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Learning And Memory ◽

Open Field ◽

Field Test ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Open Field Test ◽

Pharmacological Action ◽

Age Related ◽

Brain Oxidative Stress ◽

Samp8 Mice

Resveratrol (RVT) is a phytoalexin polyphenolic compound found in various plants, including grapes, berries and peanuts. Recently, studies have documented various health benefits of resveratrol including cardiovascular and cancer-chemopreventive properties. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the effects of resveratrol on the learning and memory impairment. The senescence-accelerated mice (SAM) were introgastric gavage administrated resveratrol (25,100mg/(kg•bw)) for 60 days. The learning and memory behavior was assessed using open-field test while the parameters of oxidative stress assessed were malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutases (SOD).The results showed that resveratrol significantly improved the learning and memory ability in open-field test. Further investigation showed that resveratrol restored SOD levels, but decreased MDA level in the mouce brain. These results indicated that the pharmacological action of RVT may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of age-related conditions.

Download Full-text

Extract of the Aerial Part of Polygala tenuifolia Attenuates d-Galactose/NaNO2-induced Learning and Memory Impairment in Mice

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/a-1212-3212 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 (18) ◽

pp. 1389-1399

Author(s):

Dian Zhang ◽

Xiao Wang ◽

Rong Li ◽

Lin Wang ◽

Zihao Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning And Memory ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Aerial Part ◽

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Latency Time ◽

Receptor Kinase ◽

Model Group ◽

Age Related ◽

Polygala Tenuifolia

AbstractAlzheimerʼs disease, one of the most common types of age-related dementia, is characterized by memory deterioration and behavior disorder. The aboveground part of Polygala tenuifolia is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of amnesia. This study was conducted to investigate the ameliorating effect of the aerial part of P. tenuifolia on d-galactose/NaNO2-induced learning and memory impairment in mice. d-galactose (120 mg/kg) and NaNO2 (90 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally for 60 days to induce learning and memory impairment in mice. The aerial part of P. tenuifolia (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) and piracetam (200 mg/kg) were simultaneously administered orally on days 15 – 60. Results of this study showed that aerial part of P. tenuifolia significantly decreased the latency time and increased the number of platform crossings in the Morris water maze compared with the Model group. Moreover, the aerial part of P. tenuifolia significantly increased the latency time and decreased the error frequency in the step-down and step-through tests compared with the Model group. Meanwhile, the aerial part of P. tenuifolia was able to regulate the cholinergic system by increasing the levels of ACh and ChAT and decreasing the level of AChe. The aerial part of P. tenuifolia also significantly attenuated the levels of interleukin-1 beta and malonaldehyde and enhanced the interleukin-10 and glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, treatment with aerial part of P. tenuifolia increased the protein and mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B in the hippocampus. These results suggest that the aerial part of P. tenuifolia can ameliorate learning and memory impairments by modulating cholinergic activity, inhibiting neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and regulating the brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling pathway.

Download Full-text

Precocious hippocampal structural and functional changes in gestational protein-restricted male elderly offspring: an Alzheimer-simile disease model?

10.1101/2021.04.07.438796 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gabriel Boer Grigoletti-Lima ◽

Marcelo Gustavo Lopes ◽

Ana Teresa Barufi Franco ◽

Aparecida Marcela Damico ◽

Patricia Aline Boer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Learning And Memory ◽

Memory Impairment ◽

Protein Restriction ◽

Amyloid Peptide ◽

Proximity Measure ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Cell Numbers ◽

Maternal Undernutrition ◽

Maternal Protein Restriction ◽

Age Related

Background: Maternal undernutrition has been associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders characterized by learning and memory impairment. Considering the lack of evidence for this, we aimed to analyze the effects of gestational protein restriction on learning and memory function later in life. This research associates behavioral findings with hippocampal cell numbers and protein content related to neurodegenerative brain disease. Methods: Experiments were conducted in animals subjected to a low-protein (LP, 6% casein) or regular-protein (NP, 17% casein) diet throughout their pregnancy. Behavioral tests, isolated hippocampal isotropic fractionator cell studies, immunoblotting, and survival lifetime tests were performed. The results confirmed that the birthweight of LP male pups significantly reduced relative to NP male pups and that hippocampal mass increased in 88-week-old LP compared to age-matched NP offspring. We used the Morris water maze proximity measure, which is the sum of 10 distances each second between rat position and location of a hidden platform target, as a suitable test for assessing age-related learning or memory impairment in aged offspring. Results: The results showed an increased proximity measure in 87-week-old LP rats (52.6 x 104 ± 10.3 x 104 mm) as compared to NP rats (47.0 x 104 ± 10.6 x 103 mm, p = 0.0007). In addition, LP rats exhibited anxiety-like behaviors compared to NP rats at 48 and 86 weeks of life. Additionally, the estimated neuron number was unaltered in LP rats; however, glial and other cell numbers increased in LP compared to NP rats. Here, we showed unprecedented hippocampal deposition of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), and tau protein in 88-week-old LP compared to age-matched NP offspring. To date, no predicted studies showed changes in hippocampal neuron and glial cell numbers in maternal protein-restricted elderly offspring. The current data suggest that maternal protein restriction has a high impact on lifespan and brain structure, and function. Conclusion: the gestational protein restriction may accelerate hippocampal function loss, impacting learning/memory performance, and supposedly developing diseases similar to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly offspring. Thus, we propose that maternal protein restriction could be a probable, elegant, and novel method for constructing an AD-like model in adult male offspring.

Download Full-text