Flavonoid-Rich Ethanol Extract from the Leaves of Diospyros kaki Attenuates D-Galactose-Induced Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation-Mediated Brain Aging in Mice

Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018 Dec 23:2018:8938207. doi: 10.1155/2018/8938207. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Aging is a major factor that contributes to neurological impairment and neuropathological changes, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal apoptosis, and synaptic dysfunction. Flavonoids act as protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents against various age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we investigated the protective effect and mechanisms of the flavonoid-rich ethanol extract from the leaves of Diospyros kaki (FELDK) in the cortex and hippocampus of D-galactose- (gal-) aged mice. Our results showed that FELDK treatment restored memory impairment in mice as determined by the Y-maze and Morris water maze tests. FELDK decreased oxidative stress levels via inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and elevating antioxidative enzymes. FELDK also alleviated D-gal-induced neuroinflammation via suppressing the expression of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and receptor for AGEs (RAGE) and activating microgliosis and astrocytosis, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) nuclear translocation, and downstream inflammatory mediators. Moreover, FELDK inhibited the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and C-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) apoptotic signaling pathways and ameliorated the impairment of synapse-related proteins. Hence, these results indicate that FELDK exerts neuroprotective effects on D-gal-induced brain aging. Thus, FELDK may be a potential therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

MeSH terms

  • Aging / metabolism*
  • Aging / pathology
  • Animals
  • Diospyros / chemistry*
  • Ethanol / chemistry
  • Flavonoids / chemistry
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology*
  • Galactose / adverse effects*
  • Galactose / pharmacology
  • Hippocampus / metabolism*
  • Hippocampus / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases* / chemically induced
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases* / drug therapy
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases* / pathology
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects*
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry*

Substances

  • Flavonoids
  • Plant Extracts
  • Ethanol
  • Galactose