Dietary Supplementation of Almond Prevents Oxidative Stress by Advocating Antioxidants and Attenuates Impaired Aversive Memory in Male Rats

Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2018 Mar;73(1):7-12. doi: 10.1007/s11130-018-0655-4.

Abstract

Scopolamine, an anti-muscarinic agent, has been shown to induce amnesia and oxidative stress similar to that observed in the older age. The present study was designed to determine the relationship between the oxidative status and memory improvement in scopolamine injected rats pre-administered with almonds. Rats (n = 8) in the almond group were administered orally with 400 mg/kg almond suspension for 28 days daily before the intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg). Passive avoidance task (PAT) was used to assess memory function at the end of treatment. The present study revealed that scopolamine injection significantly impaired the memory function in rats pre-treated with saline which was accompanied by increased oxidative stress as evident by increased brain malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes as compared to healthy controls. Pre-treatment with almond significantly ameliorated scopolamine-induced oxidative stress and memory dysfunction. These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with almonds may have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk of oxidative stress-induced memory loss and delaying or preventing the onset of age-related memory impairment.

Keywords: Almonds; Memory function; Oxidative stress; Scopolamine.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Avoidance Learning / drug effects
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Enzymes / metabolism
  • Lipid Peroxidation / drug effects
  • Male
  • Malondialdehyde / metabolism
  • Memory Disorders / chemically induced
  • Memory Disorders / diet therapy*
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects*
  • Prunus dulcis / chemistry*
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Scopolamine / toxicity

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Enzymes
  • Malondialdehyde
  • Scopolamine