Bee Venom Ameliorates Cognitive Dysfunction Caused by Neuroinflammation in an Animal Model of Vascular Dementia.
Vascular dementia (VaD) is caused by the reduction of blood supply by vessel occlusion and is characterized by progressive cognitive decline. VaD incidence has been growing due to the aging population, placing greater strain on social and economic resources. However, the pathological mechanisms underlying VaD remain unclear. Many studies have used the bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) animal model to investigate potential therapeutics for VaD. In this study, we investigated whether bee venom (BV) improves cognitive function and reduces neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of BCCAO animals. Animals were randomly divided into three groups: a sham group (n = 15), BCCAO control group (n = 15), and BV-treated BCCAO group (n = 15). BCCAO animals were treated with 0.1 μg/g BV at ST36 ("Joksamli" acupoint) four times every other day. In order to investigate the effect of BV treatment on cognitive function, we performed a Y-maze test. In order to uncover any potential relationship between these results and neuroinflammation, we also performed Western blotting in the BCCAO group. Animals that had been treated with BV showed an improved cognitive function and a reduced expression of neuroinflammatory proteins in the hippocampus, including Iba-1, TLR4, CD14, and TNF-α. Furthermore, we demonstrated that BV treatment increased pERK and BDNF in the hippocampus. The present study thus underlines the neuroprotective effect of BV treatment against BCCAO-induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation. Our findings suggest that BV may be an effective complementary treatment for VaD, as it may improve cognitive function and attenuate neuroinflammation associated with dementia.
Clinical Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseongdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-811, Republic of Korea.
Mudan
M
Cai
Clinical Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseongdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-811, Republic of Korea.
Jun Hwan
JH
Lee
Clinical Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseongdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-811, Republic of Korea. yej4823@hanmail.net.
Eun Jin
EJ
Yang
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000150:complications*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D001514:Bee Venoms; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents
Bee venom (BV); Bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO); Neuroinflammation
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