Learning behaviour and cerebral protein kinase C, antioxidant status, lipid composition in senescence-accelerated mouse: influence of a phosphatidylcholine-vitamin B12 diet

Br J Nutr. 2001 Aug;86(2):163-71. doi: 10.1079/bjn2001391.

Abstract

Our objective was to determine whether dietary supplementation with phosphatidylcholine (PC) plus vitamin B12 could afford beneficial effects on biochemical and biophysical events in the brain of senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM) substrain SAMP8. We measured learning behaviour, hippocampal protein kinase C (PKC) activity, cerebral antioxidant status, phospholipid composition and fatty acid composition in 6-month-old SAMP8 and in age-matched controls (SAM substrain SAMR1). In comparison with SAMR1, SAMP8 showed a significant elevation in total grading score of senescence and a significant decline in acquisition SAMP8 had a lower hippocampal PKC activity and cerebral PKC-beta mRNA abundance than SAMR1. SAMP8 had increased cerebral lipid peroxide levels and proportion of sphingomyelin, and a lower proportion of 20 : 4n-6 and 22 : 6n-3 in cerebral phosphtidylethanolamine than SAMR1. SAMP8 fed the PC combined with vitamin B12 diet had an increased PKC activity and a higher proportion of 22 : 6n-3 than SAMP8 fed the control diet. These results indicate the potential benefit of PC combined with vitamin B12 as a dietary supplement.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aging / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / metabolism*
  • Cerebral Cortex / metabolism
  • Diet
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / analysis
  • Hippocampus / enzymology*
  • Isoenzymes / metabolism*
  • Lipids / chemistry*
  • Memory Disorders / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Models, Animal
  • Phosphatidylcholines / administration & dosage
  • Phosphatidylethanolamines / chemistry
  • Protein Kinase C / metabolism*
  • Protein Kinase C beta
  • Vitamin B 12 / administration & dosage

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Isoenzymes
  • Lipids
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Phosphatidylethanolamines
  • Protein Kinase C
  • Protein Kinase C beta
  • Vitamin B 12