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Blueberries and strawberries activate neuronal housekeeping in critical brain regions of stress‐induced young rats.
Author(s) -
Poulose Shibu,
Bielinski Donna F,
CarrihillKnoll Kirsty,
Rabin Bernard,
ShukittHale Barbara
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.637.39
Subject(s) - autophagy , oxidative stress , neurochemical , microglia , hippocampus , inflammation , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , neuroinflammation , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , neuroscience , biology , medicine , endocrinology , biochemistry , signal transduction , apoptosis
Dysfunctional autophagy, where accumulation of damaged or complex cellular components in neurons in response to sublethal cell stress, has been implicated in an array of brain disorders. This phenomenon plays a pivotal role in aging because of the increased vulnerability of the aging brain to increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Blueberries and strawberries are rich in neuroactive compounds, and diets supplemented with these berries have been shown to improve behavior and cognitive functions in young rats which were subjected to oxidative and inflammatory stress by exposure to irradiation with high energy and charge (HZE) particles, a model for accelerated aging. The current study explored the neurochemical changes in the brain, particularly autophagy, a neuronal housekeeping mechanism. Irradiation disrupted protein homeostasis as evidenced by increased accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins in hippocampus and striatum. Feeding animals with either berry diet (2% w/w), prior to irradiation as well as 30 days post irradiation, protected these brain regions against inflammation and oxidative stress. The berry diets also enhanced the clearance of ubiquitinated proteins measured in terms of the levels of p62, beclin1, ATG7, and MAP1B‐LC3, and phosphorylation of mTOR, indicating activation of autophagy. This study extends molecular evidence for the health‐promoting properties of berries. Grant Funding Source : USDA intramural funds and NASA grant NNX13AB73G