TY - JOUR
T1 - Curcumin induces cortico-hippocampal neuronal reshaping and memory improvements in aged mice
AU - González-Granillo, Aldo Efrain
AU - Gnecco, Dino
AU - Díaz, Alfonso
AU - Garcés-Ramírez, Linda
AU - de la Cruz, Fidel
AU - Juarez, Ismael
AU - Morales-Medina, Julio César
AU - Flores, Gonzalo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Aging induces cognitive decline, reduces of synaptic plasticity and increases oxidative reactive species (ROS) in the central nervous system. Traditional medicine has long benefitted from naturally occurring molecules such as curcumin (diferuloymethane). Curcumin is extracted from the plant Curcuma longa and is known for its synaptic and antioxidant-related benefits. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic curcumin treatment reduces cognitive and cellular effects of aging. Curcumin-treated mice showed improved learning and memory using the Morris Water Maze and novel object recognition task. In addition, using the Golgi-Cox stain, curcumin treatment increased spine density in all evaluated regions and increased dendritic arborization in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) layer 3 and CA3 subregion of the hippocampus. Moreover, chronic curcumin exposure increased synaptophysin and actin expression and reduced glial fibrillary acidic protein expression, a marker of astrocytes, in the hippocampus (CA1 and CA3 subregions), while simultaneously reducing the ROS-related molecule, metallothionein 3 expression in the PFC and hippocampus. Collectively, these novel findings suggest that curcumin reduces cognitive, neuronal and astrocytic signs of aging in mice.
AB - Aging induces cognitive decline, reduces of synaptic plasticity and increases oxidative reactive species (ROS) in the central nervous system. Traditional medicine has long benefitted from naturally occurring molecules such as curcumin (diferuloymethane). Curcumin is extracted from the plant Curcuma longa and is known for its synaptic and antioxidant-related benefits. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic curcumin treatment reduces cognitive and cellular effects of aging. Curcumin-treated mice showed improved learning and memory using the Morris Water Maze and novel object recognition task. In addition, using the Golgi-Cox stain, curcumin treatment increased spine density in all evaluated regions and increased dendritic arborization in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) layer 3 and CA3 subregion of the hippocampus. Moreover, chronic curcumin exposure increased synaptophysin and actin expression and reduced glial fibrillary acidic protein expression, a marker of astrocytes, in the hippocampus (CA1 and CA3 subregions), while simultaneously reducing the ROS-related molecule, metallothionein 3 expression in the PFC and hippocampus. Collectively, these novel findings suggest that curcumin reduces cognitive, neuronal and astrocytic signs of aging in mice.
KW - Aging, synaptic plasticity
KW - Curcuma
KW - Curcumin
KW - Hippocampus
KW - Memory
KW - Prefrontal cortex
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126864266&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2022.102091
DO - 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2022.102091
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 35334275
AN - SCOPUS:85126864266
SN - 0891-0618
VL - 121
JO - Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy
JF - Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy
M1 - 102091
ER -