Fucosterol from edible brown seaweeds has various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anti-adipogenic, antiphotoaging, anti-acetylcholinesterase, and anti-beta-secretase 1 activities. However, little is known about its effects on soluble amyloid beta peptide (sAβ)-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cognitive impairment. Fucosterol was isolated from the edible brown seaweed Ecklonia stolonifera, and its neuroprotective effects were analyzed in primary hippocampal neurons and in aging rats. Fucosterol attenuated sAβ1-42-induced decrease in the viability of hippocampal neurons and downregulated sAβ1-42-induced increase in glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) expression in hippocampal neurons via activation of tyrosine receptor kinase B-mediated ERK1/2 signaling. Fucosterol co-infusion attenuated sAβ1-42-induced cognitive impairment in aging rats via downregulation of GRP78 expression and upregulation of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the dentate gyrus. Fucosterol might be beneficial for the management of cognitive dysfunction via suppression of aging-induced ER stress.
Keywords: Ecklonia stolonifera; brain-derived neurotrophic factor; endoplasmic reticulum stress; fucosterol; soluble amyloid peptide.