Effects of Herbal Compound (IMOD) on Behavior and Expression of Alzheimer's Disease Related Genes in Streptozotocin-Rat Model of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease

Effects of Fish Oil Combined with Selenium and Zinc on Learning and Memory Impairment in Aging Mice and Amyloid Precursor Protein Processing

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the aggregation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide into plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Aβ peptide is generated by the cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β- and γ-secretase. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of fish oil (or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)), selenium, and zinc on learning and memory impairment in an aging mouse model and on APP. We performed the Morris water maze and platform recorder tests on male Kunming mice (10/group) grouped as control and D-galactose-induced aging model mice treated with vehicle, fish oil, fish oil + selenium, fish oil + selenium + zinc, and positive control (red ginseng extract). Fish oil + zinc + selenium for 7 weeks significantly improved learning and memory impairments in aging model animals in the Morris water maze and platform recorder tests, as evidenced by shortened incubation periods and number of errors. In vitro analysis of Aβ_1-40 content in APP695-transfected CHO cells revealed a decrease after treatment with EPA, DHA, and their combinations with selenium or selenium and zinc. Assaying β- and γ-secretase activities revealed a decrease in PC₁₂ cells and mouse serum as well as a decrease in β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 and presenilin 1 protein levels in the PC₁₂ cells and mouse serum. Taken together, our results show that fish oil combined with selenium and zinc inhibited APP processing and alleviated learning and memory impairment in a mouse model of aging.

The Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Clinical Symptoms and Gene Expression Related to Inflammation and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Infertile Women Candidate for In Vitro Fertilization

This study was performed to determine the effects of selenium supplementation on clinical symptoms and gene expression related to inflammatory markers in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who were candidate for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Thirty-six women candidate for IVF were recruited in this randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. They (n = 18/group) were randomly assigned into intervention groups to take either 200 μg/day of selenium or placebo for 8 weeks. RT-PCR findings indicated that selenium supplementation downregulated gene expression of interleukin-1 (IL-1) (P < 0.004) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) (P = 0.02) in lymphocytes of patients with PCOS compared with the placebo. In addition, selenium supplementation upregulated gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (P = 0.001) in lymphocytes of patients with PCOS compared with the placebo. Selenium supplementation had no significant effect on clinical symptoms and gene expression of IL-8 (P = 0.10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) (P = 0.63). Overall, our findings documented that selenium supplementation for 8 weeks to infertile women candidate for IVF improved IL-1, TNF-α, and VEGF gene expression, though selenium had no effect on clinical symptoms and, IL-8 and TGF-β gene expression. Clinical trial registration number: http://www.irct.ir: IRCT20170513033941N23.