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ABSTRACT
Brain aging is a complex biological process often associated with a decline in cognitive functions and motility. Astaxanthin (AST) is a strong antioxidant capable of crossing the blood–brain barrier. The effect of AST on brain aging and its physiological and molecular mechanism are still unclear. The study aimed to investigate whether AST from AstaReal A1010 improved brain aging by inducing autophagy in SAMP10 mice. Different concentrations of AstaReal A1010 were intragastrically administered to 6-month-old SAMP10 mice for 3 months. The results demonstrated that AST delayed age-related cognitive decline, motor ability and neurodegeneration, upregulated the expression levels of autophagy-related genes beclin-1 and LC3 in the brain. It may induce autophagy by regulating IGF-1/Akt/mTOR and IGF-1/Akt/FoxO3a signaling. Treatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MA) partly reversed the anti-aging effect of AST. In conclusion, our findings suggest that AST may induce autophagy by regulating IGF-1/Akt/mTOR and IGF-1/Akt/FoxO3a signaling, thereby delaying age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline in SAMP10 mice.
Acknowledgements
This study was funded by Nutrition Science Research Foundation of By-Health (TY0181104). Xumei Zhang, Huan Liu, Min Fu and Xuguang Zhang conceived and designed the experiments; Min Fu, Xiaoshan Liang and Qi Ye performed the experiments; Fan Wang, Yuxuan Qi, Min Fu and Mingzhe Yang analyzed the data; Min Fu wrote the manuscript; Mingzhe Yang revision the manuscript.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Min Fu
Min Fu, PhD candidate in the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Tianjin Medical University (China), focuses on the effects of nutrition on aging and neurological diseases.
Xiaoshan Liang
Xiaoshan Liang, PhD candidate in the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Tianjin Medical University (China), has published six academic papers related to folic acid and ischemic stroke.
Xuguang Zhang
Xuguang Zhang, PhD of Medical Nutrition, UK. Executive Director of BYHEALTH Institute of Nutrition & Health; Research Fellow of Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences(part-time); Visiting Professor of School of Life and Marine Sciences, Shenzhen University. Long-term commitment to cardiovascular health, metabolic health, intestinal health, infant nutrition, sports nutrition and geriatric nutrition related functional food and drug innovation and research and development.
Mingzhe Yang
Mingzhe Yang, Research Fellow of BYHEALTH Institute of Nutrition & Health, Guangzhou, China. Registered Dietitian and Assistant Engineer of Food nutrition Engineering. Master of Medicine, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, majored in Nutritional Epidemiology.
Qi Ye
Qi Ye is a postgraduate student at the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Tianjin Medical University (China). Her research interests are effects of nutrition on aging and nervous system diseases.
Yuxuan Qi
Yuxuan Qi is an undergraduate in preventive medicine at Tianjin Medical University.
Huan Liu
Huan Liu, professor, vice Dean of the School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University. Her research interests are nutrition and chronic diseases. She has presided over two National Natural Science Foundation of China projects and participated in three.
Xumei Zhang
Xumei Zhang, Professor of Tianjin Medical University, Deputy Secretary-General of Tianjin Nutrition Society. She chaired four projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, focused on the effects of nutrition on aging and neurological diseases, and published more than 70 academic papers related to nutrition and neurodegenerative diseases.