Open AccessFructus mume extracts alleviate cognitive impairments in 5XFAD transgenic mice
Author(s) -
Jung-Cheol Park,
Jin Ma,
Won Kyung Jeon,
JungSoo Han
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
bmc complementary and alternative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1472-6882
DOI - 10.1186/s12906-016-1033-0
Subject(s) - hippocampus , genetically modified mouse , choline acetyltransferase , hippocampal formation , morris water navigation task , cognition , cholinergic , medicine , transgene , pharmacology , novelty , water maze , neuroscience , endocrinology , psychology , biology , biochemistry , psychiatry , social psychology , gene
Background Fructus mume (F. mume) has been used as a traditional treatment for ulcer, cough, and digestive problems for many years in Asian countries. Previous studies have demonstrated that F. mume extracts alleviate cognitive deficits in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and in mice with scopolamine treatments. The present experiment was conducted to examine the effects of F. mume on cognitive impairments in 5XFAD transgenic mice with five familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mutations. Methods F. mume was administered daily to 5XFAD mice at 12 weeks of age and continued for 90 days. Cognitive function was evaluated using a spatial memory version of the Morris water maze task, the object/location novelty recognition test, and contextual fear conditioning at 24 weeks of age. To elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying the memory improving effects of F. mume in 5XFAD mice, we examined alterations in hippocampal cholinergic function. Results Vehicle-treated 5XFAD mice exhibited hippocampus-dependent memory impairments compared with non-transgenic littermates, which was reversed in F. mume -treated 5XFAD mice. In addition, reduced hippocampal choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) levels in 5XFAD mice were reversed by F. mume treatment, indicating that F. mume enhances the effects of cholinergic neuronal function. Conclusions F. mume may have therapeutic effects on cognitive impairments in AD.