title: Effects of a human milk oligosaccharide, 2'-fucosyllactose, on hippocampal long-term potentiation and learning capabilities in rodents.
abstract: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are unique with regard to their diversity, quantity and complexity, particularly in comparison to bovine milk oligosaccharides. HMOs are associated with functional development during early life, mainly related to immunity and intestinal health. Whether HMOs elicit a positive effect on cognitive capabilities of lactating infants remains an open question. This study evaluated the role of the most abundant HMO, 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), in synaptic plasticity and learning capabilities in rodents. Mice and rats were prepared for the chronic recording of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials evoked at the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse. Following chronic oral administration of 2'-FL, both species showed improvements in input/output curves and in long-term potentiation (LTP) evoked experimentally in alert behaving animals. This effect on LTP was related to better performance of animals in various types of learning behavioral tests. Mice were tested for spatial learning, working memory and operant conditioning using the IntelliCage system, while rats were submitted to a fixed-ratio schedule in the Skinner box. In both cases, 2'-FL-treated animals performed significantly better than controls. In addition, chronic administration of 2'-FL increased the expression of different molecules involved in the storage of newly acquired memories, such as the postsynaptic density protein 95, phosphorylated calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in cortical and subcortical structures. Taken together, the data show that dietary 2'-FL affects cognitive domains and improves learning and memory in rodents.
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Granada 18004, Spain. Electronic address: enrique.vazquez@abbott.com.
authors: Enrique
authors: E
authors: Vázquez
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Granada 18004, Spain.
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: Barranco
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Granada 18004, Spain.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Ramírez
authors: Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville 41013, Spain.
authors: Agnes
authors: A
authors: Gruart
authors: Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville 41013, Spain.
authors: José M
authors: JM
authors: Delgado-García
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jaen University, Jaen 23071, Spain.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Martínez-Lara
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jaen University, Jaen 23071, Spain.
authors: Santos
authors: S
authors: Blanco
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Granada 18004, Spain.
authors: María Jesús
authors: MJ
authors: Martín
authors: Granada University Science Park, Abbott Laboratories, Granada 18016, Spain.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Castanys
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors: Rachael
authors: R
authors: Buck
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Prieto
authors: Discovery R&D Department, Abbott Nutrition, Granada 18004, Spain.
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Rueda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008895:Milk, Human; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014312:Trisaccharides; C031420:2'-fucosyllactose
keywords: 2′-Fucosyllactose; Cognition; Human milk oligosaccharides; IntelliCage; Long-term potentiation; Synaptic plasticity