Front Neurosci: Liuwei Dihuang Decoction attenuates cognitive dysfunction in aging mice by regulating lipid metabolism and oxidative stress via the gut-brain axis

Background: Aging is an important cause of cognitive dysfunctio.

Objective: To explain the mechanism of LW alleviating aging-related cognitive dysfunction from the perspective of the microbiota gut-brain axi.

Methods: Sixty C57BL/6 mice (n=60) were randomly divided into 5 groups: control group, model group, vitamin E (positive control group), low-dose LW and high-dose LW groups (n=12.

Except for the control group, the mice in the other groups were subcutaneously injected with D-galactose to induce the aging mode.

Results: LW ameliorated cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal synaptic ultrastructural damage in aging mic.

Metabolomic analysis revealed that LW treatment was associated with significantly different abundances of 14 metabolites that were mainly enriched in apelin signaling, sphingolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid, and other metabolic pathway.

LW can affect lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in aging mice—increase apolipoprotein E and adiponectin content, decrease free fatty acid content; decrease MDA content, enhance SOD and GSH-Px activit.

The study also found that LW-regulated microbial populations, such as proteobacteria and fibrobacteria, have potential relationships with lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and hippocampal metabolite.

Conclusions: LW modulates lipid metabolism and oxidative stress by restoring gut-brain axis microbiota homeostasis, thereby improving cognitive function in aging mic.

Source:

Liu B, Chen B, Yi J, et a.