Promotes Antioxidant Gene Expression and Mitochondrial Oxidative Respiration in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

(L.) Urban (family Apiaceae) () is a traditional botanical medicine used in aging and dementia. Water extracts of (CAW) have been used to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms in related animal models and are associated with increases in antioxidant response element (ARE) genes and improvements in mitochondrial respiratory function and neuronal health.

Centella asiatica promotes antioxidant gene expression and mitochondrial oxidative respiration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Centella asiatica (Centella) is a traditional botanical medicine that shows promise in treating dementia based on behavioral alterations seen in animal models of aging and cognitive dysfunction. In order to determine if Centella could similarly improve cognitive function and reduce disease burden in multiple sclerosis (MS), we tested its effects in the neuroinflammatory experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS. In two independent experiments, C57BL/6J mice were treated following induction of EAE with either a standardized water extract of Centella (CAW) or placebo for 2 weeks.

Early-onset peri-partum cardiomyopathy in a twin gestation: A rare presentation.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare pregnancy-associated dilated cardiomyopathy occurring in the last month of pregnancy and five months postdelivery, which presents with features of cardiac failure. Diagnosis is based on characteristic echocardiographic findings and elevated cardiac biomarkers and has significant mortality and morbidity when undiagnosed and untreated. Atypical presentations in earlier gestations are rare and associated with risk factors.

Xanthohumol improves cognition in farnesoid X receptor-deficient mice on a high-fat diet.

Xanthohumol (XN) improves cognition of wild-type rodents on a high-fat diet (HFD). Bile acids and ceramide levels in the liver and hippocampus might be linked to these effects. XN modulates activity of the nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR; also known as NR1H4), the primary receptor for bile acids.

ApoE isoform-dependent effects of xanthohumol on high fat diet-induced cognitive impairments and hippocampal metabolic pathways.

Consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) is linked to metabolic syndrome and cognitive impairments. This is exacerbated in age-related cognitive decline (ACD) and in individuals with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is involved in cholesterol metabolism.

Apolipoprotein E Isoform-Dependent Effects on Human Amyloid Precursor Protein/Aβ-Induced Behavioral Alterations and Cognitive Impairments and Insoluble Cortical Aβ42 Levels.

Mice expressing human amyloid precursor protein (APP) containing the dominant Swedish and Iberian mutations ( ) or also Arctic mutation ( ) show neuropathology and hippocampus-dependent cognitive impairments pertinent to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in mouse models at 18 and 6 months of age, respectively. Apolipoprotein E, involved in cholesterol metabolism, plays an important role in maintaining the brain. There are three human apolipoprotein E isoforms: E2, E3, and E4.

Serum Levels of α-Klotho Are Correlated with Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels and Predict Measures of Cognitive Function.

Background: α-klotho might play a role in neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective: To determine levels of α-klotho and apoE in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and their relationship with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).

Methods: All subjects were between age 39 to 83+ (n = 94).

Fecal Implants From and Donor Mice Sufficient to Induce Behavioral Phenotypes in Germ-Free Mice.

The gut microbiome and the gut brain axis are potential determinants of Alzheimer's disease (AD) etiology or severity and gut microbiota might coordinate with the gut-brain axis to regulate behavioral phenotypes in AD mouse models. Using 6-month-old human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) knock-in (KI) mice, which contain the Swedish and Iberian mutations [APP NL-F ( )] or the Arctic mutation as third mutation [APP NL-G-F ( )], behavioral and cognitive performance is associated with the gut microbiome and APP genotype modulates this association. In this study, we determined the feasibility of behavioral testing of mice in a biosafety cabinet and whether stool from 6-month-old mice or crossed with human apoE4 targeted replacement mice is sufficient to induce behavioral phenotypes in 4-5 month-old germ-free C57BL/6J mice 4 weeks following inoculation.

Apolipoprotein E levels in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex predict relative regional brain volumes in irradiated Rhesus macaques.

In the brain, apolipoprotein E (apoE) plays an important role in lipid transport and response to environmental and age-related challenges, including neuronal repair following injury. While much has been learned from radiation studies in rodents, a gap in our knowledge is how radiation might affect the brain in primates. This is important for assessing risk to the brain following radiotherapy as part of cancer treatment or environmental radiation exposure as part of a nuclear accident, bioterrorism, or a nuclear attack.

The Effect of High Fat Diet on Cerebrovascular Health and Pathology: A Species Comparative Review.

In both humans and animal models, consumption of a high-saturated-fat diet has been linked to vascular dysfunction and cognitive impairments. Laboratory animals provide excellent models for more invasive high-fat-diet-related research. However, the physiological differences between humans and common animal models in terms of how they react metabolically to high-fat diets need to be considered.

Xanthohumol ameliorates Diet-Induced Liver Dysfunction via Farnesoid X Receptor-Dependent and Independent Signaling.

The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) plays a critical role in the regulation of lipid and bile acid (BA) homeostasis. Hepatic FXR loss results in lipid and BA accumulation, and progression from hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of xanthohumol (XN), a hop-derived compound mitigating metabolic syndrome, on liver damage induced by diet and FXR deficiency in mice.

Integrated analysis of behavioral, epigenetic, and gut microbiome analyses in App, App, and wild type mice.

Epigenetic mechanisms occurring in the brain as well as alterations in the gut microbiome composition might contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Human amyloid precursor protein knock-in (KI) mice contain the Swedish and Iberian mutations (App) or those two and also the Arctic mutation (App). In this study, we assessed whether behavioral and cognitive performance in 6-month-old App, App, and C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice was associated with the gut microbiome, and whether the genotype modulates this association.

Longitudinal Effects of Immediate and Delayed Estradiol on Cognitive Performance in a Spatial Maze and Hippocampal Volume in Menopausal Macaques Under an Obesogenic Diet.

The consumption of a diet high in fat and refined sugars has several health risks, including the development of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. For women, menopause carries additional health risks that may interact with a high-fat diet in negative ways. Some symptoms of menopause, including cognitive impairments, can be modulated by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but the hormonal formulation and the timing of the treatment relative to the onset of menopause are critical factors determining its efficacy.

The effects of dietary levels of genistein on ovarian follicle number and gene expression.

Genistein is a phytoestrogen found in soy. We previously found that adult exposure to dietary levels of genistein affected gestation time, parturition time, litter size, pup weight, and pup mortality in CD-1 mice. The present study investigated the effects of adult genistein exposure on follicle number and gene expression in the ovaries of CD-1 mice.

Licorice root components mimic estrogens in an object location task but not an object recognition task.

This study investigated the efficacy of components of licorice root to alter performance on two different recognition tasks, a hippocampus-sensitive metric change in object location (MCOL) task and a striatum-sensitive double object recognition (DOR) task. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), licorice root extract (LRE), and whole licorice root powder (LRP) were assessed. Young adult female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and exposed to ISL, LRE or LRP at 0.

The effects of the botanical estrogen, isoliquiritigenin on delayed spatial alternation.

Age-related declines in cognitive function can impair working memory, reduce speed of processing, and alter attentional resources. In particular, menopausal women may show an acceleration in the rate of cognitive decline as well as an increased vulnerability to brain diseases as estrogens may play a neuroprotective and neurotrophic role in the brain. To treat menopausal symptoms, many women turn to botanical estrogens that are promoted as a safe and natural alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy.

Cetyl gellan copolymer micelles and hydrogels: in vitro and pharmacodynamic assessment for drug delivery.

In this study, gellan polymer was conferred amphiphilic character by conjugating alkyl carbon chain (C16) to its backbone via etherification reaction. The amphiphilic copolymer self-assembled into water and formed spherical micellar structures with a mean diameter of 832 nm. Copolymer micellization caused a considerable rise in solubility of simvastatin in water.