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Volume 26
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Article

Short-Term New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ Blackcurrant Juice Supplementation Improves Learning and Memory in Young Adult Rats

by
Dominic Lomiwes
1,*,
Alexander P. Kanon
1,
Birgit Ha
2,
Janine M. Cooney
3,
Andrew Scholey
4,
Kirsty A. Lyall
3,
Dwayne J. Jensen
3 and
Roger D. Hurst
1
1
New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Private Bag 11030, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
2
New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, MARC, Auckland 1025, New Zealand
3
New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science Limited, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
4
School of Psychology, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(23), 11568; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311568
Submission received: 18 October 2025 / Revised: 20 November 2025 / Accepted: 24 November 2025 / Published: 28 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Sourced Functional and Bioactive Compounds—Nature’s Blueprint for Improving Human Well-Being)
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Abstract

Berryfruit consumption has been shown to improve aspects of cognition in humans, and may protect against age-related cognitive decline via antioxidant mechanisms. This study investigated whether short-term supplementation with New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ blackcurrant (BC) juice supports spatial learning and memory in healthy young adult Sprague Dawley rats. Male rats (n = 24) received BC juice (n = 12; 5.4 mg/kg polyphenols) or a sugar-matched placebo (n = 12) prior to each daily trial during a four-day Morris Water Maze (MWM) acquisition phase and a probe trial on day five. BC supplementation significantly reduced cumulative distance (p = 0.020) and latency (p = 0.030) to the platform. In the probe trial, the trends showed that BC-supplemented rats spent more time in the platform zone. These improvements corresponded with detectable plasma anthocyanins, and trends toward higher hippocampal superoxide dismutase activity (p = 0.028, pa = 0.140) and lower circulating corticosterone (p = 0.052, pa = 0.228) in the BC group. These results suggest that BC phytochemicals may support spatial learning and memory. Mechanisms of effect may occur through specific antioxidant-mediated neuroprotective pathways and/or modulation of aspects of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.
Keywords: blackcurrant; polyphenol; learning; memory; stress; antioxidant; corticosterone blackcurrant; polyphenol; learning; memory; stress; antioxidant; corticosterone
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MDPI and ACS Style

Lomiwes, D.; Kanon, A.P.; Ha, B.; Cooney, J.M.; Scholey, A.; Lyall, K.A.; Jensen, D.J.; Hurst, R.D. Short-Term New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ Blackcurrant Juice Supplementation Improves Learning and Memory in Young Adult Rats. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 11568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311568

AMA Style

Lomiwes D, Kanon AP, Ha B, Cooney JM, Scholey A, Lyall KA, Jensen DJ, Hurst RD. Short-Term New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ Blackcurrant Juice Supplementation Improves Learning and Memory in Young Adult Rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(23):11568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311568

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lomiwes, Dominic, Alexander P. Kanon, Birgit Ha, Janine M. Cooney, Andrew Scholey, Kirsty A. Lyall, Dwayne J. Jensen, and Roger D. Hurst. 2025. "Short-Term New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ Blackcurrant Juice Supplementation Improves Learning and Memory in Young Adult Rats" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 23: 11568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311568

APA Style

Lomiwes, D., Kanon, A. P., Ha, B., Cooney, J. M., Scholey, A., Lyall, K. A., Jensen, D. J., & Hurst, R. D. (2025). Short-Term New Zealand ‘Blackadder’ Blackcurrant Juice Supplementation Improves Learning and Memory in Young Adult Rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(23), 11568. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311568

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