Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332000, China.
Center for Cognitive Science and Transdisciplinary Studies, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang 332000, China.
Nutrients. 2023 Oct 16;15(20):4381. doi: 10.3390/nu15204381.
Vascular dementia (VD), caused by impaired cerebral blood flow, is the most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly and is characterized by severe neuronal damage and cognitive decline. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important determinant of vascular homeostasis, and its deficiency is associated with the progression of VD. In this study, we investigated the role of nitrite ion, a NO metabolite in a botanical mixture (BM) of fermented garlic, fermented , and on neuron loss and cognitive impairment using a VD rat model. The BM containing the NO metabolite alleviated cognitive deficits and enhanced neural plasticity, as reflected by an increase in long-term potentiation. The BM also alleviated neuron apoptosis, decreased GFAP expression, and oxidative stress, and increased parvalbumin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. These results indicate that BM exerts neuroprotective effects and alleviates cognitive dysfunction while enhancing neuroplasticity, and thus has therapeutic potential against VD.
血管性痴呆（VD）是由脑血流受损引起的，是老年人中仅次于阿尔茨海默病（AD）的最常见痴呆症类型，其特征是严重的神经元损伤和认知能力下降。一氧化氮（NO）是血管内稳态的重要决定因素，其缺乏与 VD 的进展有关。在这项研究中，我们使用 VD 大鼠模型研究了一种发酵大蒜、发酵和植物混合物（BM）中硝酸盐离子（NO 代谢物）在神经元丢失和认知障碍中的作用。含有 NO 代谢物的 BM 缓解了认知缺陷，并增强了神经可塑性，表现为长时程增强的增加。BM 还缓解了神经元凋亡，降低了 GFAP 表达和氧化应激，并增加了钙结合蛋白和脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）水平。这些结果表明，BM 具有神经保护作用，可缓解认知功能障碍，同时增强神经可塑性，因此具有治疗 VD 的潜力。
