Pomegranate juice decreases amyloid load and improves behavior in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Richard E. Hartman; Aartie Shah; Anne M. Fagan; Katherine E. Schwetye; Maia Parsadanian; Risa N. Schulman; Mary Beth Finn; David M. Holtzman

Neurobiology of Disease (Dec 2006)

Pomegranate juice decreases amyloid load and improves behavior in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Richard E. Hartman,
Aartie Shah,
Anne M. Fagan,
Katherine E. Schwetye,
Maia Parsadanian,
Risa N. Schulman,
Mary Beth Finn,
David M. Holtzman

Affiliations

Richard E. Hartman: Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA; Corresponding authors. R.E. Hartman is to be contacted at Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, 11130 Anderson St. #119, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA. Fax: +1 909 558 0171. D.M. Holtzman, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Fax: +1 314 362 1771.
Aartie Shah: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Anne M. Fagan: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Katherine E. Schwetye: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Maia Parsadanian: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Risa N. Schulman: Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
Mary Beth Finn: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
David M. Holtzman: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Corresponding authors. R.E. Hartman is to be contacted at Department of Psychology, Loma Linda University, 11130 Anderson St. #119, Loma Linda, CA 92354, USA. Fax: +1 909 558 0171. D.M. Holtzman, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Fax: +1 314 362 1771.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 24, no. 3
pp. 506 – 515

Abstract

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Although there are no proven ways to delay onset or slow progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), studies suggest that diet can affect risk. Pomegranates contain very high levels of antioxidant polyphenolic substances as compared to other fruits and vegetables. Polyphenols have been shown to be neuroprotective in different model systems. We asked whether dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice (PJ) would influence behavior and AD-like pathology in a transgenic mouse model. Transgenic mice (APPsw/Tg2576) received either PJ or sugar water control from 6 to 12.5months of age. PJ-treated mice learned water maze tasks more quickly and swam faster than controls. Mice treated with PJ had significantly less (∼50%) accumulation of soluble Aβ42 and amyloid deposition in the hippocampus as compared to control mice. These results suggest that further studies to validate and determine the mechanism of these effects, as well as whether substances in PJ may be useful in AD, should be considered.

Published in Neurobiology of Disease

ISSN: 0969-9961 (Print); 1095-953X (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/neurobiology-of-disease

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