Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Traditional Persian Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
Nutr Neurosci. 2023 Sep;26(9):888-900. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2022.2108255. Epub 2022 Aug 13.
Based on evidence there are accepted links among early nutrition, epigenetic processes, and cognitive performance. Almond as a nutritious food could exert neuroprotective effects and improve anxiety, learning, and memory. In the current study, female rats were fed with a diet containing 5% (w/w) almonds during the mating period (two days) and gestation period (21 consecutive days). Then, the effect of the almond diet on short-term memory (Y maze), anxiety (elevated plus maze), and stress adaptation (forced swimming test) were investigated in the adult male offspring. The hippocampus (HIP), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and amygdala (AMY) of offspring were collected, and the level of cyclic AMP response element-binding proteins (CREB), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was assessed by western blotting. Also, Monoamine oxidases (MAO)-A and B activity were evaluated via enzymatic assays. Our results indicated that prenatal almond consumption improved memory, made a modest reduction in anxiety-like behavior, and increased stress adaptation in adult male offspring. Also, molecular assessments showed an increased level of CREB phosphorylation and BDNF in the HIP and PFC of the almond group, while the activity of MAO-A and MAO-B was inhibited by almond consumption in mentioned areas. These findings introduce almonds as a beneficial diet during pregnancy, for improving short-term memory, stress adaptation, and cognitive performance in adult offspring.
基于现有证据，早期营养、表观遗传过程和认知表现之间存在着被认可的联系。杏仁作为一种营养丰富的食物，可能具有神经保护作用，并能改善焦虑、学习和记忆。在目前的研究中，雌性大鼠在交配期（两天）和妊娠期（连续 21 天）期间喂食含有 5%（w/w）杏仁的饮食。然后，研究了杏仁饮食对成年雄性后代短期记忆（Y 迷宫）、焦虑（高架十字迷宫）和应激适应（强迫游泳试验）的影响。收集后代的海马（HIP）、前额叶皮层（PFC）和杏仁核（AMY），并通过 Western blot 评估环腺苷酸反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）、脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的水平。此外，通过酶促测定评估单胺氧化酶（MAO）-A 和 B 的活性。我们的结果表明，产前杏仁摄入可改善成年雄性后代的记忆，适度降低焦虑样行为，并增强应激适应。此外，分子评估显示杏仁组 HIP 和 PFC 中 CREB 磷酸化和 BDNF 水平增加，而杏仁摄入抑制了上述区域 MAO-A 和 MAO-B 的活性。这些发现表明，杏仁作为一种有益的孕期饮食，可以改善后代的短期记忆、应激适应和认知表现。
