title: Purple sweet potato color repairs d-galactose-induced spatial learning and memory impairment by regulating the expression of synaptic proteins.
abstract: Purple sweet potato color (PSPC), a class of naturally occurring anthocyanins used to color food (E163), has been reported to possess a variety of biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory. The effect of PSPC on the spatial learning and memory of mice treated with d-galactose (d-gal) was evaluated by the Morris water maze; d-gal-treated mice had decreased performance compared with mice in the vehicle and PSPC groups, while the PSPC+d-gal group showed significantly shortened escape latency to platform, increased swimming speed, more target quadrant search time and more platform crossings as compared with the d-gal group. Brain functions, such as memory formation and recovery of function after injury, depend on proper regulation of the expression levels of the pre- and post-synaptic proteins. We investigated the expression of four pre-synaptic proteins (growth-associated protein-43, synapsin-I, synaptophysin, and synaptotagmin) and two post-synaptic proteins (post-synaptic density protein-95 and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, respectively, in response to different treatments. Western blotting analysis showed that there were significant decreases in the expression of these representative synaptic proteins in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of d-gal-treated mice. Interestingly, these decreased expression levels of synaptic proteins could be reversed by PSPC. The levels of expression of these representative synaptic proteins in mice treated with PSPC alone were not significantly different from those in untreated mice. The results of this study suggested that memory impairment and synaptic protein loss in d-gal-treated mice may be improved by treatment with PSPC.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Biotechnology on Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Science, Xuzhou Normal University, No. 101 Shanghai Road, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
authors.forename: Dong-mei
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yuan-lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: Dai-fu
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D019922:GAP-43 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005690:Galactose / Q000633:toxicity*; D051528:Guanylate Kinases; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D027723:Ipomoea batatas; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism; D016704:Synapsins / Q000378:metabolism; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000378:metabolism; D050863:Synaptotagmin I / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501447:Dlg4 protein, mouse; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D028321:Plant Preparations; D016704:Synapsins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D050863:Synaptotagmin I; C494311:Syt1 protein, mouse; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D051528:Guanylate Kinases; D005690:Galactose