Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2023 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back

Session: Impact of Food-based Components on Chronic Disease and Older Adults (Oral 26)

(OR26-01-23) Protective Effect of Dietary Curcumin on Spatial Memory Dysfunction and Metabolic Regulation in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model via the Brain-Liver-Gut Axis

Tuesday, July 25, 2023
10:00 AM – 10:12 AM ET
Location:  Commonwealth

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Gopal Lamichhane

    Graduate Research Assistant
    Oklahoma State University
    Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • JL

    Jing Liu

    Oklahoma State University

  • Su-Jeong Lee, BS

    Graduate research assistant
    Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University
    Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

  • Da-Yeon Lee, MS

    Graduate Research Assistant
    Oklahoma State University
    Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

  • GZ

    Guolong Zhang, Dr

    Oklahoma State University

  • Yoo Kim, Dr, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    Oklahoma State University
    Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States

Disclosure(s):
Gopal Lamichhane: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: The increased burden of metabolic diseases and an aging population come with an alarming incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effect of curcumin in cognitive and metabolic functions. We also examined regulation of the gut microbiome (GM) and cross interaction between the brain/liver and GM.

Methods: Eight-month-old AD-induced 3xTg mice (n=6-7, Tg) and control mice (n=6-7, Cont) were divided into 4 groups and fed a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat high-sugar diet (HFHSD) alone or each diet supplemented with curcumin (NCD+CUR and HFHSD+CUR) for 14 weeks. Phenotypic parameters and behavioral changes were evaluated for all groups. After 14 weeks, RNA sequencing for hippocampus and liver was done and analyzed for differential expression of gene using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and gene ontology (GO) terms. Fecal samples were analyzed by 16s rRNA to investigate alterations in GM.

Results: HFHSD fed 3xTg mice (Tg-HFHSD) showed higher body weight gain compared to control mice (Cont-HFHSD). However, Tg-HFHSD+CUR mice significantly lowered body weight gain compared to Tg-HFHSD mice. Spatial memory test using a Y-maze showed aggravated cognitive disfunction on Tg-HFHSD mice compared to Cont-HFHSD mice. However, Tg-HFHSD+CUR mice attenuated memory impairment compared to Tg-HFHSD mice, implying curcumins preventive effect. Transcriptomic analysis data supported these results: 1) curcumin changes genes related to fatty acid metabolism, microbody, and peroxisome in the liver and 2) curcumin alters calcium signaling related genes in the hippocampus. Furthermore, curcumin increased microbial diversity and richness in gut of mice as represented by increased amplicon sequence variants, Pielou’s evenness index, and Shannon index in Tg mice. Of particular interest, Muribaculaceae, Acetatifactor, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae and Flintibacter bacteria were increased in Tg-HFHSD+CUR mice compared to Tg-HFHSD mice.

Conclusions: Curcumin supplementation in HFHSD-fed 3xTg mice protects AD-associated weight gain and memory impairment by altering signaling in the liver and brain, combined with changing the GM.

Funding Sources: Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging and OTTOGI HAM TAIHO Foundation.