Behavioural Neuroscience/ Neuropharmacology Unit, Department of Pharmacology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
Behavioural Neuroscience/Neurobiology Unit, Department of Anatomy, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem. 2021;21(2):104-113. doi: 10.2174/1871524921666210315130023.
Ascorbic acid (AA) is a water-soluble vitamin that is concentrated in the brain in large quantities. There have been reports that it is essential for proper brain functioning. However, there is insufficient information on the possible effects of dietary fortification with AA on the health of the brain.
This study examined the effects of dietary fortification of rodent chow with AA on neurobehaviour, antioxidant status, lipid peroxidation, and inflammatory/apoptotic markers in the brain of healthy mice.
Mice were randomly assigned into four groups of ten animals each. Groups were normal control [fed rodent chow], and three groups were fed AA-fortified chow at 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg of feed, respectively, for eight weeks. Behavioural tests {Open field, Y-maze, radial-arm maze, and elevated plus maze (EPM)} were carried out on day 57. Twenty-four hours after the last behavioural test, animals were euthanised, and the brains were excised and homogenised for assessment of brain acetylcholinesterase activity, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant status, inflammatory and apoptotic markers.
Ascorbic acid fortified diet was associated with concentration-dependent changes in body weight, open-field behaviours, working-memory, and anxiety indices. Also, brain levels of malondialdehyde, caspase-3, and TNF-α decreased, while superoxide dismutase activity, total antioxidant capacity, and IL-10 level increased.
Dietary AA fortification with concentrations up to 300 mg/kg of feed was associated with sustained improvement in neurobehavioural and biochemical parameters in the brain of healthy mice, reiterating additional health benefits of AA fortification beyond the prevention of nutritional deficiencies.
抗坏血酸（AA）是一种水溶性维生素，大量集中在大脑中。有报道称，它对大脑正常功能至关重要。然而，关于饮食中 AA 强化对大脑健康的可能影响的信息还不够充分。
本研究探讨了在健康小鼠的饮食中强化 AA 对神经行为、抗氧化状态、脂质过氧化和脑内炎症/凋亡标志物的影响。
将小鼠随机分为四组，每组 10 只。正常对照组[喂食标准鼠粮]，三组分别喂食含 AA 的强化鼠粮，浓度为 100、200 和 300mg/kg 饲料，持续 8 周。第 57 天进行行为测试（旷场、Y 迷宫、放射臂迷宫和高架十字迷宫）。最后一次行为测试 24 小时后，处死动物，取出大脑并匀浆，用于评估大脑乙酰胆碱酯酶活性、脂质过氧化、抗氧化状态、炎症和凋亡标志物。
AA 强化饮食与体重、旷场行为、工作记忆和焦虑指数呈浓度依赖性变化有关。此外，大脑中的丙二醛、caspase-3 和 TNF-α水平降低，而超氧化物歧化酶活性、总抗氧化能力和 IL-10 水平升高。
饮食中 AA 强化浓度高达 300mg/kg 饲料与健康小鼠神经行为和大脑生化参数的持续改善有关，再次强调了 AA 强化除了预防营养缺乏之外，还具有额外的健康益处。
