Cuscutae Japonicae Semen Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction by Rescuing Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer’s Disease Models
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Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate school, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
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BK21 PLUS Integrated Education and Research Center for Nature-inspired Drug Development Targeting Healthy Aging, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
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Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
4
Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy and Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2019, 11(11), 2591; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112591
Received: 25 September 2019
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Revised: 21 October 2019
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Accepted: 25 October 2019
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Published: 28 October 2019
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly. It is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and progressive cognitive impairment. To alleviate the symptoms of AD, functional foods and nutrients have been used for centuries. In this study, we investigated whether Cuscutae Japonicae Semen (CJS), a medicinal food traditionally used in East Asia, has effects on memory improvement and synapse protection in AD. We orally administered CJS to 5x familiar AD (5xFAD) transgenic mice and performed the Morris water maze test. The results showed that CJS treatment ameliorated the decline of memory function. Then, we demonstrated that CJS attenuated the degeneration of pre- and post-synaptic proteins in the hippocampi of 5xFAD mice. To demonstrate the effects of CJS in vitro, we treated Aβ in primary neuronal culture with CJS and observed that CJS rescued the loss of functional synapses. The protective effects of CJS on the synapse were due to the inhibition of activated caspase-3 expression. Additionally, CJS inhibited the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and tau proteins, which contribute to synaptic dysfunction. Taken together, our results suggest that CJS is efficient in alleviating memory loss by rescuing caspase-3-mediated synaptic damage in AD treatment.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Ju, I.G.; Kim, N.; Choi, J.G.; Lee, J.K.; Oh, M.S. Cuscutae Japonicae Semen Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction by Rescuing Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer’s Disease Models. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2591. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112591
AMA Style
Ju IG, Kim N, Choi JG, Lee JK, Oh MS. Cuscutae Japonicae Semen Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction by Rescuing Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer’s Disease Models. Nutrients. 2019; 11(11):2591. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112591
Chicago/Turabian StyleJu, In G., Namkwon Kim, Jin G. Choi, Jong K. Lee, and Myung S. Oh. 2019. "Cuscutae Japonicae Semen Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction by Rescuing Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer’s Disease Models" Nutrients 11, no. 11: 2591. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112591
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