Effects of Vegetable Oils with Different Fatty Acid Compositions on Cognition and Memory Ability in Aβ-Induced Alzheimer's Disease Mouse Model.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of three kinds of vegetable oils with different fatty acid compositions against cognitive impairment in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model. After intracerebroventricular injection of amyloid beta (Aβ) into the brain of institute of cancer research mice, olive oil (rich in oleic acid, C18:1), corn oil (rich in linoleic acid, C18:2), and perilla oil (rich in α-linolenic acid [ALA], C18:3) were administered at the oral dose of 500 mg/kg/day for 14 days. The results revealed that Aβ induced learning and memory dysfunction according to the T-maze, novel object recognition, and Morris water maze tests. Among the three vegetable oils, however, the perilla oil group of mice showed marked attenuation of cognitive impairment, that is, a greater number of explorations on a new route/object than on an old route/object in the T-maze and novel object recognition tests. In the Morris water maze test, perilla oil decreased the time to reach the platform and increased the number of crossings over the target quadrant in which the platform was located previously. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of perilla oil supplementation on oxidative stress was reflected in the inhibition of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide (NO) production in Aβ-injected mice. We also found that perilla oil downregulated protein expression levels of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 and upregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor. These findings showed that ALA-rich perilla oil has a potential for prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.