Antioxidant and cognitive promotion effects of anthocyanin-rich mulberry ( Morus atropurpurea L.) on senescence-accelerated mice and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

• Published in: The Journal of nutritional biochemistry Vol. 21; no. 7; pp. 598 - 605
• Main Authors: Shih, Ping-Hsiao, Chan, Yin-Ching, Liao, Jiunn-Wang, Wang, Ming-Fu, Yen, Gow-Chin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.07.2010; New York, NY: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aging; Aging - blood; Aging - drug effects; Aging - metabolism; alanine transaminase; Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer Disease - blood; Alzheimer Disease - metabolism; Alzheimer Disease - prevention & control; Amyloid; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Amyloid beta-Peptides - metabolism; analysis; Animals; Anthocyanin; anthocyanins; Anthocyanins - analysis; Anthocyanins - therapeutic use; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - metabolism; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; aspartate transaminase; Biological and medical sciences; blood; brain; Brain - drug effects; Brain - enzymology; Brain - metabolism; chemistry; cholesterol; cognition; Cognition Disorders; Cognition Disorders - blood; Cognition Disorders - metabolism; Cognition Disorders - prevention & control; diet; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; drug effects; enzyme activity; enzymology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fruit; Fruit - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hepatoprotective effect; Isoprostanes; Isoprostanes - metabolism; Learning; Learning - drug effects; lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Lipids - blood; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - enzymology; Liver - metabolism; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System; MAP Kinase Signaling System - drug effects; MAPK; memory; metabolism; Mice; mitogen-activated protein kinase; Morus; Morus - chemistry; Morus alba; Mulberry; NF-E2 Transcription Factor; NF-E2 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Nrf2; phenolic compounds; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; prevention & control; Protein Transport; Protein Transport - drug effects; Random Allocation; SAMP8; therapeutic use; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Anthocyanin; Mulberry; Amyloid; MAPK; Nrf2; SAMP8; Nervous system diseases; Senescence; Enzyme; Alzheimer disease; Transferases; Rodentia; Mitogen-activated protein kinase; Cognition; Antioxidant; Cerebral disorder; Prevention; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease
• ISSN: 0955-2863; 1873-4847; 1873-4847
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2009.03.008

In the present study, we evaluated the beneficial effect of mulberry extracts (ME), which are rich in phenolics and anthocyanins, on the induction of antioxidant enzymes and on the promotion of cognition in senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP). Six-month old SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0.18% and 0.9% ME for consecutive 12 weeks. The results showed that the mice fed the ME supplement demonstrated significantly less amyloid β protein and showed improved learning and memory ability in avoidance response tests. ME-treated mice showed a higher antioxidant enzyme activity and less lipid oxidation in both the brain and liver, as compared to the control mice. Furthermore, treatment with ME decreased the levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, triglyceride and total cholesterol that increase with ageing. The hepatoprotective effect of ME appeared to occur through a mechanism related to regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases and activation of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2, where the latter regulates the induction of phase 2 antioxidant enzymes and reduction of oxidative damage. Overall, supplementation of ME might be advantageous to the induction of an antioxidant defense system and for the improvement of memory deterioration in ageing animals.