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Published on: March 8, 2015
Naringin Alleviates Autistic-Like Behaviors in BTBR Mice Through Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1-Mediated Restoration of
Yulong Liu1,2, Meiling Xia1, Xinggao Zhang1
1Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China.
Background:
Naringin, a flavanone glycoside (naringenin 7-O-neohesperidose), exhibits a broad range of pharmacological activities, including neuroprotection. However, its effects on autistic-like behavior have not been extensively studied.
Methods:
In this investigation, we utilized the autistic BTBR T + tf/J (BTBR) mice to conduct behavioral tests assessing autistic-like phenotypes. We evaluated hippocampal neurogenesis through immunofluorescence and employed molecular biological techniques, along with RNA sequencing, to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Results:
Our findings revealed that the administration of naringin alleviated autism-associated behaviors in BTBR mice. RNA sequencing analysis indicated that naringin facilitated the recovery of impaired hippocampal neurogenesis in these mice, as evidenced by an increase in doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells and neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in the dentate gyrus (DG). Furthermore, we confirmed that the cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) plays a role in the therapeutic effects of naringin.
Conclusions:
This research highlights the potential of naringin as a promising treatment option for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and suggests that targeting hippocampal neurogenesis through the CB1 receptor may be an effective strategy.
