title: Dietary Lycopene Supplementation Improves Cognitive Performances in Tau Transgenic Mice Expressing P301L Mutation via Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Tau Hyperphosphorylation.
abstract: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies and participates in their development by promoting hyperphosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein tau. Lycopene, as an effective antioxidant, combined with vitamin E seemed to be additive against oxidative stress.
  
  
  
  The present study was undertaken to examine whether lycopene or lycopene/vitamin E could exert protective effects on memory deficit and oxidative stress in tau transgenic mice expressing P301L mutation.
  
  
  
  P301L transgenic mice were assigned to three groups: P301L group (P301L), P301L+lycopene (Lyc), and P301L+lycopene/vitamin E (Lyc+VE). Age-matched C57BL/6J mice as wild type controls (Con) were used in the present study. Spatial memory was assessed by radial arm while passive memories were evaluated by step-down and step-through tests. Levels of tau phosphorylation were detected by western blot. Oxidative stress biomarkers were measured in the serum using biochemical assay kits.
  
  
  
  Compared with the control group, P301L mice displayed significant spatial and passive memory impairments, elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and decreased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in serum, and increased tau phosphorylation at Thr231/Ser235, Ser262, and Ser396 in brain. Supplementations of lycopene or lycopene/vitamin E could significantly ameliorate the memory deficits, observably decreased MDA concentrations and increased GSH-Px activities, and markedly attenuated tau hyperphosphorylation at multiple AD-related sites.
  
  
  
  Our findings indicated that the combination of lycopene and vitamin E antioxidants acted in a synergistic fashion to bring significant effects against oxidative stress in tauopathies.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Weiguang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Zhonghai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yugang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D000077276:Lycopene; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology; D024801:Tauopathies / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C054369:MAPT protein, human; D016875:tau Proteins; D002338:Carotenoids; D000077276:Lycopene
keywords: Lycopene; P301L tau protein; oxidative stress; phosphorylation; spatial memory; vitamin E