Reduction of inclusion body pathology in ApoE-deficient mice fed a combination of antioxidants
Authors
Gerald Veurink
Dan Liu, Edith Cowan University
Kevin Taddei
George Perry
Mark A. Smith
Terry A. Robertson
Eugene Hone
David M. Growth
Craig S. Atwood
Ralph N. Martins
Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Human Genetics
Funders
McCusker Foundation of Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Hollywood Private Hospital.
Further funding information available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-5849(03)00042-X
Abstract
Clinical studies have shown that the antioxidant vitamin E can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Other antioxidants reported to affect cognitive function include ginkgo biloba, vitamin C, and lipoic acid. To examine the effects of combination antioxidant therapy (CAT) on longevity and neuropathology in mice, we supplemented the diet of ApoE-deficient mice with vitamin E, ginkgo biloba, pycnogenol, and ascorbyl palmitate. ApoE-deficient mice normally exhibit increased numbers of PAS-positive inclusion bodies with aging. However, supplementation with CAT resulted in a significant increase in life span and a marked reduction of inclusion body histopathology in the hippocampus. In addition, while untreated apoE-deficient mice exhibited increased levels of TUNEL staining, a marker of DNA fragmentation, supplementation with CAT resulted in a significant reduction in the levels of TUNEL staining. These findings suggest that oxidative mechanisms, perhaps related to neuronal apoptosis, are integral to inclusion body formation in aging mice. The association between the reduced number of apoptotic cells and the reduction in inclusion bodies may explain in part the increased longevity of mice fed CAT, and supports the contention that the combined actions of selected antioxidants may be therapeutically effective against neurodegenerative diseases.
DOI
10.1016/S0891-5849(03)00042-X
Comments
Veurink, G., Liu, D. A. N., Taddei, K., Perry, G., Smith, M. A., Robertson, T. A., ... & Martins, R. N. (2003). Reduction of inclusion body pathology in ApoE-deficient mice fed a combination of antioxidants. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 34(8), pp. 1070-1077. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-5849(03)00042-X