Synergistic Effects of Walnut Oil and Nervonic Acid on Antioxidant Activity and Cognitive Impairment

Cognitive impairment (CI) poses a significant public health challenge, where oxidative stress plays a crucial role in its initiation and advancement. Previous research has emphasized that walnut oil (WO) and nervonic acid (NA) are potential therapeutic foods for CI. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of WO and NA on antioxidant activity and CI improvement. Compared to WO (1.63 g/kg) and NA (1.59 mg/kg) individually, the co-administration of WO and NA (WONA) exhibited superior 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, significantly enhanced cell viability, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in H₂O₂-induced PC12 cells. Furthermore, WONA (1.63 g/kg) outperformed WO and NA in alleviating brain injury in CI mice. CI mice are those in which a cognitive impairment model is established by subcutaneously injecting D-galactose (900 mg/kg) daily for eight weeks, which induces neuronal damage, enhances oxidative stress, disrupts neurotransmitters balance, and elevates inflammatory factors. The results demonstrated that WONA CI and can be utilized as an innovative functional food ingredient or dietary supplement to effectively improve cognitive impairment.