title: Curcumin attenuates surgery-induced cognitive dysfunction in aged mice.
abstract: Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is associated with elderly patients undergoing surgery. However, pharmacological treatments for POCD are limited. In this study, we found that curcumin, an active compound derived from Curcuma longa, ameliorated the cognitive dysfunction following abdominal surgery in aged mice. Further, curcumin prevented surgery-induced anti-oxidant enzyme activity. Curcumin also increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-positive area and expression of pAkt in the brain, suggesting that curcumin activated BDNF signaling in aged mice. Furthermore, curcumin neutralized cholinergic dysfunction involving choline acetyltransferase expression induced by surgery. These results strongly suggested that curcumin prevented cognitive impairments via multiple targets, possibly by increasing the activity of anti-oxidant enzymes, activation of BDNF signaling, and neutralization of cholinergic dysfunction, concurrently. Based on these novel findings, curcumin might be a potential agent in POCD prophylaxis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China. wx7322@sina.com.|Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China. wx7322@sina.com.|Ningbo Medical centre Lihuili Eastern Hospital, Ningbo, 315211, China. wx7322@sina.com.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Huixin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Chunhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Xinmei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Jialing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Dilin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Chu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Pain Department of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Hangzhou, 310006, China.
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Yiguo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Ningbo XiaoShi High School, Ningbo, 315020, China.
authors.forename: Mingrui
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Ningbo XiaoShi High School, Ningbo, 315020, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Institute of Medical Sciences, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Haixiong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Jinrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Ningbo No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, China.
authors.forename: Junping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Ningbo Key Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
authors.forename: Qinwen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China. cuiwei@nbu.edu.cn.|Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Zhejiang, China. cuiwei@nbu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D003474:Curcumin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Anti-oxidant enzyme; BDNF; ChAT; Curcumin; Post-operative cognitive dysfunction