Cuscutae Japonicae Semen Ameliorates Memory Dysfunction by Rescuing Synaptic Damage in Alzheimer's Disease Models

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading cause of dementia, characterized by amyloid-beta accumulation and cognitive decline.
• Functional foods and nutrients are explored for AD symptom management.
• Cuscutae Japonicae Semen (CJS) is a traditional East Asian medicinal food.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of CJS on memory improvement and synapse protection in Alzheimer's disease models.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying CJS's therapeutic potential.

Main Methods:

• Oral administration of CJS to 5xFAD transgenic mice.
• Morris water maze test for memory assessment.
• Analysis of pre- and post-synaptic proteins in mouse hippocampi.
• In vitro studies using primary neuronal cultures treated with amyloid-beta and CJS.

Main Results:

• CJS treatment significantly ameliorated memory decline in 5xFAD mice.
• CJS attenuated the degeneration of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus.
• In vitro, CJS rescued functional synapse loss induced by amyloid-beta.
• CJS inhibited activated caspase-3, glycogen synthase kinase-3β, and tau phosphorylation.

Conclusions:

• Cuscutae Japonicae Semen demonstrates efficacy in alleviating memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• CJS protects synapses by inhibiting caspase-3-mediated damage and related signaling pathways.
• These findings suggest CJS as a potential therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease treatment.