Behavioural NeuroscienceLong-term administration of green tea catechins prevents age-related spatial learning and memory decline in C57BL/6 J mice by regulating hippocampal cyclic amp-response element binding protein signaling cascade
Section snippets
Animals and supplementation
Female C57BL/6 J mice were provided by the Department of Laboratory Animal Science of Peking University Health Science Center and were housed five per cage with a 12-h dark/light cycle under controlled temperature (23±2 °C) and humidity (50%±10%). The animals had free access to food and water. After a 7-day acclimatization to the laboratory conditions, 14-month-old mice (n=60) were randomly divided into four groups: aged control group (n=15), 0.025% GTC-supplemented group (n=15), 0.05%
GTC intake and body weights
No deaths or obvious clinical signs were found in all groups throughout the experimental period. Daily water intake per mouse did not differ among the Aged control (4.27±0.06 ml/day), young control (4.33±0.05 ml/day), 0.025% GTC-treated (4.39±0.05 ml/day), 0.05% GTC-treated (4.37±0.04 ml/day) and 0.1% GTC-treated (4.29±0.06 ml/day) groups. The mean dose of GTC was therefore calculated to be about 40, 80 and 160 mg/kg/day. Body weights of mice submitted to GTC treatment were similar to that of
Discussion
The beneficial effects ascribed to tea drinking are believed to rely on the pharmacological actions of catechins and their derivatives. GTC are well absorbed in the intestine and metabolized in the liver. Several studies with chemiluminescence-based detection or HPLC have demonstrated that GTC or their derivatives can be detected in the brain following oral treatment, suggesting that they are able to cross the blood–brain barrier and thus have the potential to be active in vivo (Abd El Mohsen
Conclusion
In conclusion, the primary finding of this study is that GTC may be effective agents to prevent age-related learning and memory decline by modulating hippocampal CREB signaling cascade. Thus, drinking tea every day may improve the memory capabilities of elderly people and enhance their quality of life.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the foundation (No. 2006BAD27B08) from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China.
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