Syzygium malaccense fruit supplementation protects mice brain against high-fat diet impairment and improves cognitive functions

Author(s)

Batista, Angela Giovana ^{[1, 2]} ; Mendonca, Monique Culturato P. ^{[3, 4]} ; Soares, Edilene Siqueira ^[4] ; da Silva-Maia, Juliana Kelly ^{[1, 5]} ; Dionisio, Ana Paula ^[6] ; Sartori, Cesar R. ^[7] ; da Cruz-Hofling, Maria Alice ^{[3, 4]} ; Marostica Junior, Mario Roberto ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Campinas Unicamp, Dept Food & Nutr, Fac Food Engn, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fed Univ Santa Maria UFSM, Dept Food & Nutr, Palmeira Dos Missoes, RS - Brazil

^[3] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Fac Med Sci, Dept Pharmacol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Dept Biochem & Tissue Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Fed Univ Rio Grande Norte UFRN, Dept Nutr, Natal, RN - Brazil

^[6] Embrapa Agroind Trop, Fortaleza, CE - Brazil

^[7] Univ Campinas Unicamp, Inst Biol, Dept Dept Struct & Funct Biol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Functional Foods; v. 65, FEB 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

In this study, we supplemented a high-fat diet (HF) with 5% powder of freeze-dried Syzygium malaccense fruit (HS) and investigated proofs of peripheral insulin resistance, hippocampal AKT-GSK3-beta-tau activation, learning/memory performance, and brain frontal lobe oxidative stress. The intake of HS did not prevent weight gain but promoted peripheral insulin sensitivity, improved AKT signaling in the hippocampus, which prevented the activation of GSK3-beta and lowered tau phosphorylation induced in HF. The results from the Morris water maze cognitive test were consistent with the lower tau-phosphorylation, once the HS group showed lower latency in the acquisition phase and more times crossing the target quadrant when compared with HF. The HS diet improved brain antioxidant enzyme activities. Overall, the intervention with S. malaccense fruit to mice was effective in minimizing cognitive deficit caused by HF consumption and in preventing risk markers associated with Alzheimers disease without reducing weight gain in mice. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/11069-5 - Action of Brazilian berries on metabolic parameters and cognitive performance of obese animals
• Grantee: Mário Roberto Maróstica Junior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/50333-1 - COBRA: a novel compound discovery pipeline for rapid and cost-effective identification of bioactives with health beneficial effects in Brazilian crops
• Grantee: Glaucia Maria Pastore
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants