Porcine placental extract facilitates memory and learning in aged mice

Aging induces a decline in both memory and learning ability without predisposing an individual to diseases of the central nervous system, such as dementia. This decline can have a variety of adverse effects on daily life, and it can also gradually affect the individual and the people they are surrounded by. Since recent evidence indicated that placental extract has effects on brain function such as memory, we hypothesized that placental extract could ameliorate the age-associated reduction in cognitive function in aging. Here, we investigated the effect of new modified porcine placental extract (SD-F) on memory ability in aged mice at both the behavioral and molecular levels. Our results revealed that SD-F significantly enhanced memory ability in the object recognition and object location tasks in a dose-dependent manner in aged mice relative to controls. The numbers of Nissl-positive cells in the hippocampal cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) and dentate gyrus (DG) regions were increased in SD-F-treated aged mice relative to controls. RNA-seq analysis of the hippocampus of aged mice identified 542 differentially expressed genes, of which 216 were up-regulated and 326 were down-regulated in SD-F-treated mice relative to controls. Of the 216 up-regulated genes, we identified four characteristic genes directly related to memory, including early growth response protein 1 (Egr1), growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible, beta (Gadd45b), NGFI-A binding protein 2 (Nab2), and vascular endothelial growth factor a (Vegfa). These results suggest that the efficacy of SD-F involves upregulation of these genes.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of the Water-Soluble Portion of Porcine Placental Extract in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW264.7 Murine Macrophage Cells

Porcine placental extract (PPE) is used as a nonprescription drug for analeptics and in health foods and cosmetics in Japan, Korea and China. It was reported that PPE has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities; however, the mechanisms and the responsible molecules involved in these activities are still unclear. Here, we investigated how enzymatically prepared PPE affects proinflammatory factors such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in a cultured macrophage cell line, RAW264.7, when co-stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Enhanced production of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α by LPS was significantly reduced by the addition of PPE and these effects were dose dependent. Nitric oxide (NO) production induced in cultured macrophages by LPS was also inhibited by PPE. Real-time PCR after the reverse transcription of total RNAs isolated from cells treated with PPE revealed that the mRNA expressions of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, and NO synthase (NOS)-2 were reduced. The necessary concentration of PPE prepared by enzymatic digestion to mediate anti-inflammatory effects compared with the reported value of that extracted by phosphate buffered saline without digestion was proportional to the amount of extracted materials from the same amount of placenta (about 10-fold). This suggests that the molecules responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity exists in the placenta and can be extracted by phosphate buffered saline, and thus might survive enzymatic digestion.

Effect of porcine placental extract on the mild menopausal symptoms of climacteric women

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed the effects of oral porcine placental extract (PPE) on the mild menopausal symptoms of climacteric women.

METHODS

In this 12-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, 50 climacteric Japanese women were randomized 1 : 1 to oral PPE (300 mg/day) or placebo. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated by using the Simplified Menopausal Index (SMI), as were serum estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels. Blood biochemical and cellular and urinary tests were done to evaluate safety aspects of repeated oral administration of PPE.

RESULTS

The total SMI score of the PPE group was significantly more improved after 12 weeks than that of the placebo group (p = 0.031). This score and three subscores (vasomotor, psychological, and somatic symptoms) were significantly improved at 8 and/or 12 weeks compared with the initial values in the PPE group (p < 0.05). E2 and FSH levels were not improved in either group. No adverse events were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Oral PPE at 300 mg/day improved the mild menopausal symptoms of climacteric women. Since oral PPE did not improve serum E2 and FSH levels, PPE is thought not to ameliorate hormonal balance itself but to improve subjective feelings of climacteric women.