The Additive Effects of Low Dose Intake of Ferulic Acid, Phosphatidylserine and Curcumin, Not Alone, Improve Cognitive Function in APPswe/PS1dE9 Transgenic Mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and its prevention and treatment is a worldwide issue. Many natural components considered to be effective against AD have been identified. However, almost all clinical trials of these components for AD reported inconclusive results. We thought that multiple factors such as amyloid ß (Aß) and tau progressed the pathology of AD and that a therapeutic effect would be obtained by using multiple active ingredients with different effects. Thus, in this study, we treated ferulic acid (FA), phosphatidylserine (PS) and curcumin (Cur) in combination or alone to APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice and evaluated cognitive function by Y-maze test. Consequently, only the three-ingredient group exhibited a significant improvement in cognitive function compared to the control group. In addition, we determined the amounts of Aß, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), interleukin (IL)-1ß, acetylcholine and phosphorylated tau in the mouse brains after the treatment. In the two-ingredient (FA and PS) group, a significant decrease in IL-1ß and an increasing trend in acetylcholine were observed. In the Cur group, significant decreases in Aß and phosphorylated tau and an increasing trend in BDNF were observed. In the three-ingredient group, all of them were observed. These results indicate that the intake of multiple active ingredients with different mechanisms of action for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Highly water pressurized brown rice improves cognitive dysfunction in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 and reduces amyloid beta in the brain.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and the number of AD patients continues to increase worldwide. Components of the germ layer and bran of Brown rice (BR) help maintain good health and prevent AD. Because the germ layer and bran absorb little water and are very hard and difficult to cook, they are often removed during processing. To solve these problems, in this study, we tried to use a high-pressure (HP) technique. METHODS: We produced the highly water pressurized brown rice (HPBR) by pressurizing BR at 600 MPa, and then we fed it to an AD mouse model, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8, to investigate the therapeutic effects of HPBR on cognitive dysfunction by Y-maze spatial memory test. RESULTS: HP treatment increased the water absorbency of BR without nutrient loss. HPBR ameliorated cognitive dysfunction and reduced the levels of amyloid-ß, which is a major protein responsible for AD, in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that HPBR is effective for preventing AD.

Design and synthesis of curcumin derivatives as tau and amyloid ß dual aggregation inhibitors.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. In an AD patient's brain, senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the abnormal aggregates of amyloid ß (Aß) peptide and tau protein, are observed as the two major hallmarks of this disease. To develop a new drug for treatment of AD, we have designed and synthesized a series of curcumin derivatives and evaluated their inhibitory activities against both tau and Aß aggregation. In this study, we describe the development of the more potent aggregation inhibitor 3-[(1E)-2-(1H-indol-6-yl)ethenyl]-5-[(1E)-2-[2-methoxy-4-(2-pyridylmethoxy) phenyl] ethenyl]-1H-pyrazole (compound 4, PE859). This compound has a better pharmacokinetic profile and pharmacological efficacy in vivo than curcumin, making it suitable as a drug for AD.

Therapeutic effect of a novel curcumin derivative GT863 on a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The present study investigated the therapeutic effects of the curcumin derivative 3-[(1E)-2-(1H-indol-6-yl)ethenyl]-5-[(1E)-2-[2-methoxy-4-(2-pyridylmethoxy)phenyl]ethenyl]-1H-pyrazole (GT863) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The inhibitory effect of GT863 on superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) aggregation was evaluated in cell-free assays. GT863 interfered with the conformational changes of the SOD1 protein and later, oligomeric aggregation. Furthermore, its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects were evaluated in cell-free and cultured cell assays. GT863 inhibited H2O2- and glutamate-induced cytotoxicity and activated an antioxidant responsive element pathway. Additionally, in vivo effects of GT863 in the ALS mice model were evaluated by its oral administration to H46R mutant SOD1 transgenic mice. Rotarod test showed that GT863 administration significantly slowed the progression of motor dysfunction in the mice. In addition, GT863 substantially reduced highly-aggregated SOD1, further preserving large neurons in the spinal cord of GT863-treated mice. Collectively, these results indicated that GT863 could be a viable therapeutic agent with multiple vital actions for the treatment of ALS.

Aromatherapy improves cognitive dysfunction in senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 by reducing the level of amyloid beta and tau phosphorylation.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is known to be the most common cause of dementia. We previously described the benefits of aromatherapy on the cognitive function of patients with AD utilizing various aromatic essential oils; however, its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Consequently, in the present study, this mechanism was thoroughly evaluated employing a dementia mice model, specifically the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8. The mice were exposed to a mixture of lemon and rosemary oil at nighttime as well as to a mixture of lavender and orange oil in the daytime for 2 months. The cognitive function of the mice was assessed before and after treatment with the aromatic essential oils using the Y-maze test. Moreover, the brain levels of amyloid beta (Aß), abnormally phosphorylated tau, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were measured following treatment. The benefits of aromatherapy on the cognitive function in mice were confirmed. It was also established that the brain levels of Aß and abnormally phosphorylated tau were considerably lower in the aromatherapy group, while the levels of BDNF were marginally higher. These results suggest that aromatherapy employing these aromatic essential oils is beneficial for the prevention and treatment of AD.

Development of a brain-permeable peptide nanofiber that prevents aggregation of Alzheimer pathogenic proteins.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is proposed to be induced by abnormal aggregation of amyloidß in the brain. Here, we designed a brain-permeable peptide nanofiber drug from a fragment of heat shock protein to suppress aggregation of the pathogenic proteins. To facilitate delivery of the nanofiber into the brain, a protein transduction domain from Drosophila Antennapedia was incorporated into the peptide sequence. The resulting nanofiber efficiently suppressed the cytotoxicity of amyloid ßby trapping amyloid ß onto its hydrophobic nanofiber surface. Moreover, the intravenously or intranasally injected nanofiber was delivered into the mouse brain, and improved the cognitive function of an Alzheimer transgenic mouse model. These results demonstrate the potential therapeutic utility of nanofibers for the treatment of AD.

Curcumin Derivative GT863 Inhibits Amyloid-Beta Production via Inhibition of Protein N-Glycosylation.

Amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aß production, aggregation, and clearance are thought to be important therapeutic targets for AD. Curcumin has been known to have an anti-amyloidogenic effect on AD. In the present study, we performed screening analysis using a curcumin derivative library with the aim of finding derivatives effective in suppressing Aß production with improved bioavailability of curcumin using CHO cells that stably express human amyloid-ß precursor protein and using human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. We found that the curcumin derivative GT863/PE859, which has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on Aß and tau aggregation in vivo, was more effective than curcumin itself in reducing Aß secretion. We further found that GT863 inhibited neither ß- nor γ-secretase activity, but did suppress γ-secretase-mediated cleavage in a substrate-dependent manner. We further found that GT863 suppressed N-linked glycosylation, including that of the γ-secretase subunit nicastrin. We also found that mannosidase inhibitors that block the mannose trimming step of N-glycosylation suppressed Aß production in a similar fashion, as was observed as a result of treatment with GT863. Collectively, these results suggest that GT863 downregulates N-glycosylation, resulting in suppression of Aß production without affecting secretase activity.

Long-Term Ultra-High Hydrostatic Pressurized Brown Rice Intake Prevents Bone Mineral Density Decline in Elderly Japanese Individuals.

Bone embrittlement with aging, namely osteoporosis, is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, and can lead to increased risk of fracture. The development of functional foods that can prevent geriatric diseases is in progress. Our focus was on brown rice because of its properties. An interventional study using of ultra-high hydrostatic pressurized brown rice (UHHPBR) for human has not yet been conducted. In this study, we investigated whether long-term dietary intake of UHHPBR prevents aging-related decline of bone mineral density in elderly Japanese individuals. Elderly participants (n=40; mean 73.1 y) in Iinan-cho, Shimane, Japan, were randomly divided into two groups. The UHHPBR-intake group (n=20) consumed 100 g of UHHPBR and 100 g of white rice (WR) per day for 12 mo, while the WR-intake group (n=20) consumed 200 g of WR per day. Pre- and 12-mo post-intervention, bone mineral density was evaluated by quantitative ultrasound. After 12 mo of intervention, the UHHPBR group's bone mineral density was significantly higher than the WR group's bone mineral density. Moreover, chronic intake of UHHPBR had no adverse side effects on participants. Long-term oral UHHPBR intake may have beneficial effects on bone mineral density decline and may attenuate osteoporosis in the elderly.

PE859, A Novel Curcumin Derivative, Inhibits Amyloid-ß and Tau Aggregation, and Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 8.

Aggregation of amyloid-ß (Aß) and tau plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, the inhibition of Aß and tau aggregation may represent a potential therapeutic target for AD. Herein, we designed and synthesized both Aß and tau dual aggregation inhibitors based on the structure of curcumin and developed the novel curcumin derivative PE859. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory activity of PE859 on Aß aggregationin vitro and the therapeutic effects of PE859 on cognitive dysfunction via dual inhibition of Aß and tau aggregation in vivo. PE859 inhibited Aß aggregation in vitro and protected cultured cells from Aß-induced cytotoxicity. Furthermore, PE859 ameliorated cognitive dysfunction and reduced the amount of aggregated Aß and tau in brains of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8). These results warrant consideration of PE859 as a candidate drug for AD.

PE859, a novel tau aggregation inhibitor, reduces aggregated tau and prevents onset and progression of neural dysfunction in vivo.

In tauopathies, a neural microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) is abnormally aggregated and forms neurofibrillary tangle. Therefore, inhibition of the tau aggregation is one of the key approaches for the treatment of these diseases. Here, we have identified a novel tau aggregation inhibitor, PE859. An oral administration of PE859 resulted in the significant reduction of sarkosyl-insoluble aggregated tau along with the prevention of onset and progression of the motor dysfunction in JNPL3 P301L-mutated human tau transgenic mice. These results suggest that PE859 is useful for the treatment of tauopathies.