Basic Research
Effects of low-fat diet or statin intervention at early age on brain Aβ pathology and behaviors of middle-aged Tg2576 mice
Lihua Zhou, Caixia Qiu, Xuan Chang, Weiming Chen, Jun Liu, Zhanhang Wang, Wuhua Xu
Published 2018-10-15
Cite as Chin J Neuromed, 2018, 17(10): 981-986. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1671-8925.2018.10.002
Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of low-fat diet or statin intervention at early age on brain amyloid β-protein (Aβ) pathology and behaviors of middle-aged Tg2576 mice.
MethodsThirty-five two-month-old Tg2576 mice were randomly divided into following 5 groups: a juvenile statin group, a juvenile low-fat diet group, a young statin group, a young low-fat group, and a blank control group (n=7); mice in the low-fat diet groups were given standard low-fat feed, and mice in the statin group were given atorvastatin at 17 mg/(kg·d) into the normal diet. The initiation times of intervention were, respectively, set to be 2-month-old in juvenile groups and 6-month-old in young groups; meanwhile, mice in the blank-control group were fed with normal diet without statin. All mice were raised to be 10-month-old and tested by Morris water maze for evaluating cognitive behaviors two weeks before execution. After peripheral blood and brains being taken, a monoclonal anti-Aβ42 antibody was employed to immunostain mice brain paraffin tissue sections for assaying tissue Aβ plaque immunoreactivity (TAPIR), and the levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, β-secretase, and γ-secretase in homogenates were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
ResultsAs compared with those in the blank-control group, the average escape latencies, times of passing through hidden platforms, percentage of strong TAPIR, Aβ42 and γ-secretase level in all intervention groups showed no statistical differences (P>0.05). As compared with those in the blank control group, Aβ42 in homogenates of young intervention groups and β-secretase level in the young statin group were significantly higher (P<0.05).
ConclusionInterventions initiated from juvenile or young, and low-fat diet intervention or statin intervention can neither improve the mice's Morris water maze testing results, nor reduce Aβs burdens in brain homogenates and Aβ40 immunopathologies in brain tissues of middle-aged mice; over early initiation of low-fat diet intervention or statin intervention might accelerate or worsen Alzheimer's disease progress.
Key words:
Alzheimer's disease; Atatin intervention; Low-fat diet; Amyloid β-protein; Pathology; Behavioristics; Youth; Juvenile; Middle age
Contributor Information
Lihua Zhou
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (Neurology II), Institute of Clinical Pathological Nutrition, Guangzhou Red-cross Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ji'nan University, Guangzhou 510220, China
Caixia Qiu
Department of Neurology, Yuebei People's Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Shantou University, Shaoguang 512046, China
Xuan Chang
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (Neurology II), Institute of Clinical Pathological Nutrition, Guangzhou Red-cross Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ji'nan University, Guangzhou 510220, China
Weiming Chen
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (Neurology II), Institute of Clinical Pathological Nutrition, Guangzhou Red-cross Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ji'nan University, Guangzhou 510220, China
Jun Liu
Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
Zhanhang Wang
Unite I, Department of Neurology, Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital, Guangzhou 510510, China
Wuhua Xu
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine (Neurology II), Institute of Clinical Pathological Nutrition, Guangzhou Red-cross Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Ji'nan University, Guangzhou 510220, China
