Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University.
Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University.
J Oleo Sci. 2021 Jun 1;70(6):867-874. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess20327. Epub 2021 May 7.
The neurotrophic hypothesis of depression, that is, a deficiency in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) leads to depression, has gained widespread acceptance. BDNF is synthesized in various peripheral tissues such as the lung, kidney, liver, heart and testis, besides the brain. Peripheral BDNF can traverse the blood-brain barrier and reach the hippocampus; accordingly, substances that upregulate BDNF production in peripheral tissues may be useful in the treatment of depression. The Mediterranean diet, containing high amounts of whole grains including unrefined wheat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and olive oil, reportedly reduces the risk of depression. The association between the high consumption of unrefined wheat in the Mediterranean diet and BDNF production in peripheral tissues is unclear. In this study, we investigated the BDNF production capacity of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and the effect of wheat on BDNF production in the cells. Methanol extracts of whole-wheat flour and wheat bran, which are forms of unrefined wheat, increased the BDNF level in the culture medium of A549 cells. However, methanol extract of wheat endosperm had no effect on the BDNF level in these cells. Our findings suggest that wheat bran contains ingredients that upregulate BDNF production in peripheral tissues, and unrefined wheat potentially contributes to the elevation in peripheral BDNF level.
抑郁症的神经营养假说认为，海马脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的缺乏会导致抑郁症，这一假说已得到广泛认可。BDNF 不仅在大脑中合成，还在肺部、肾脏、肝脏、心脏和睾丸等各种外周组织中合成。外周 BDNF 可以穿透血脑屏障并到达海马体；因此，上调外周组织中 BDNF 产生的物质可能对抑郁症的治疗有用。地中海饮食含有大量的全谷物，包括未精制的小麦、蔬菜、水果、坚果和橄榄油，据报道可降低抑郁症的风险。地中海饮食中大量摄入未精制小麦与外周组织中 BDNF 产生之间的关联尚不清楚。在这项研究中，我们研究了人肺腺癌细胞系 A549 的 BDNF 产生能力以及小麦对细胞中 BDNF 产生的影响。全小麦粉和麦麸的甲醇提取物（未精制小麦的形式）增加了 A549 细胞培养基中的 BDNF 水平。然而，小麦胚乳的甲醇提取物对这些细胞中的 BDNF 水平没有影响。我们的研究结果表明，麦麸中含有可上调外周组织中 BDNF 产生的成分，未精制小麦可能有助于提高外周 BDNF 水平。
