Isoflavone-Enriched Soybean Leaves (Glycine Max) Alleviate Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy and Modulate PI3K/Akt Signaling in the Hippocampus of C57BL6 Mice

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 14; no. 22; p. 4753
• Main Authors: Yoo, Dae Young, Jung, Soonwoong, Kang, Jae Soon, Baek, Ji Hyeong, Park, Ki Hun, Lee, Dong Hoon, Kang, Sang Soo, Kim, Hyun Joon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.11.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AKT protein; Alzheimer's disease; Animal cognition; Animals; Behavior; Body weight; Brain; Cardiovascular disease; Care and treatment; Chemical properties; cognition; Cognition disorders; Cognitive ability; Cognitive Dysfunction - drug therapy; Cognitive Dysfunction - etiology; Complications and side effects; Estrogen; Estrogen receptors; Estrogens; Female; Glycine max; Health aspects; Hippocampus; Hippocampus (Brain); Hippocampus - drug effects; Hormone replacement therapy; Hormone therapy; Humans; Impairment; Inhibition (psychology); isoflavone; Isoflavones; Isoflavones - pharmacology; Isoflavones - therapeutic use; Lignans; Memory; Menopause; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurophysiology; Obesity; Oophorectomy; Osteoporosis; Ovariectomy; Ovariectomy - adverse effects; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Physiological aspects; phytoestrogen; Phytoestrogens; Phytotherapy; Plant Leaves; Prevention; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Risk factors; Signal Transduction; Soybean; Soybeans; Sucrose; Womens health; South Korea; Massachusetts; Germany; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; phytoestrogen; isoflavone; cognition; menopause; ovariectomy
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14224753

(1) Background: The estrogen decline during perimenopause can induce various disorders, including cognitive impairment. Phytoestrogens, such as isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans, have been tried as a popular alternative to avoid the side effects of conventional hormone replacement therapy, but their exact mechanisms and risk are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) on the cognitive impairment induced by ovariectomy in female mice. (2) Methods: Ovariectomy was performed at 9 weeks of age to mimic menopausal women, and the behavior tests for cognition were conducted 15 weeks after the first administration. IESLs were administered for 18 weeks. (3) Results: The present study showed the effects of IESLs on the cognitive function in the OVX (ovariectomized) mice. Ovariectomy markedly increased the body weight and fat accumulation in the liver and perirenal fat, but IESL treatment significantly inhibited them. In the behavioral tests, ovariectomy impaired cognitive functions, but administration of IESLs restored it. In addition, in the OVX mice, administration of IESLs restored decreased estrogen receptor (ER) β and PI3K/Akt expression in the hippocampus. (4) Conclusions: The positive effects of IESLs on cognitive functions may be closely related to the ER-mediated PI3/Akt signaling pathway in the hippocampus.