J Korean Biol Nurs Sci.  2022 May;24(2):77-85. 10.7586/jkbns.2022.24.2.77.

Morus Nigra Extract Attenuates Cognition Impairment and GABAergic Interneuron Degeneration in Aged Rat Brain

Affiliations
  • 1Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy, Daejeon, Korea
  • 2Department of Nursing, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea
  • 3Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Institute for Neurological Therapeutics, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Jersey, USA
  • 4College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
Aging process comes with cognitive impairment due to decreased neuronal cell number, activity, and neuronal circuit. Alteration of inhibitory neurons contributes to cognitive impairment in normal aging and is responsible for disrupting the excitation/ inhibition balance by reducing the synthesis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Morus nigra (Mulberry) is a natural physiologically active substance that has been proven to have anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects through many studies. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the mulberry extract (ME) on cognitive function through anti-oxidant enzyme and GABAergic neuronal activity in aged rat brain.
Methods
Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned as the young group (8 weeks, n = 8), aging group (67 weeks, n = 8), and aging + mulberry extract group (67 weeks, n = 8). The aging + mulberry extract group was orally administered 500 mg/kg/d mulberry extract for 6 weeks.
Results
The aging + mulberry extract group improved spatial and short-term memory. The antioxidant potential of ME increased the expression of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) and decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Also, the aging + mulberry extract group significantly increased the expression of GABAergic interneuron in hippocampus cornu ammonis1 (CA1) compared to the aging group.
Conclusion
The number of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons was deceased and memory functions in the aging process, but those symptoms were improved and restored by mulberry extract administration.

Keyword

Aging; Cognitive dysfunction; Morus; GABAergic neurons; Inflammation
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