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Caffeine consumption prevents diabetes-induced memory impairment and synaptotoxicity in the hippocampus of NONcZNO10/LTJ mice

Duarte, João M N LU orcid ; Agostinho, Paula M ; Carvalho, Rui A. and Cunha, Rodrigo A (2012) In PLoS ONE 7(4).
Abstract

Diabetic conditions are associated with modified brain function, namely with cognitive deficits, through largely undetermined processes. More than understanding the underlying mechanism, it is important to devise novel strategies to alleviate diabetes-induced cognitive deficits. Caffeine (a mixed antagonist of adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors) emerges as a promising candidate since caffeine consumption reduces the risk of diabetes and effectively prevents memory deficits caused by different noxious stimuli. Thus, we took advantage of a novel animal model of type 2 diabetes to investigate the behavioural, neurochemical and morphological modifications present in the hippocampus and tested if caffeine consumption might prevent these... (More)

Diabetic conditions are associated with modified brain function, namely with cognitive deficits, through largely undetermined processes. More than understanding the underlying mechanism, it is important to devise novel strategies to alleviate diabetes-induced cognitive deficits. Caffeine (a mixed antagonist of adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors) emerges as a promising candidate since caffeine consumption reduces the risk of diabetes and effectively prevents memory deficits caused by different noxious stimuli. Thus, we took advantage of a novel animal model of type 2 diabetes to investigate the behavioural, neurochemical and morphological modifications present in the hippocampus and tested if caffeine consumption might prevent these changes. We used a model closely mimicking the human type 2 diabetes condition, NONcNZO10/LtJ mice, which become diabetic at 7-11 months when kept under an 11% fat diet. Caffeine (1 g/l) was applied in the drinking water from 7 months onwards. Diabetic mice displayed a decreased spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze accompanied by a decreased density of nerve terminal markers (synaptophysin, SNAP25), mainly glutamatergic (vesicular glutamate transporters), and increased astrogliosis (GFAP immunoreactivity) compared to their wild type littermates kept under the same diet. Furthermore, diabetic mice displayed up-regulated A(2A) receptors and down-regulated A(1) receptors in the hippocampus. Caffeine consumption restored memory performance and abrogated the diabetes-induced loss of nerve terminals and astrogliosis. These results provide the first evidence that type 2 diabetic mice display a loss of nerve terminal markers and astrogliosis, which is associated with memory impairment; furthermore, caffeine consumption prevents synaptic dysfunction and astrogliosis as well as memory impairment in type 2 diabetes.

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author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Animals, Blotting, Western, Caffeine, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental, Hippocampus, Immunohistochemistry, Insulin, Male, Memory Disorders, Mice, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
in
PLoS ONE
volume
7
issue
4
article number
e21899
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:84859733227
  • pmid:22514596
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0021899
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
4c41d368-ec87-4874-a6f6-d7415c6f2fcc
date added to LUP
2017-10-19 15:21:04
date last changed
2024-04-14 20:09:01
@article{4c41d368-ec87-4874-a6f6-d7415c6f2fcc,
  abstract     = {{<p>Diabetic conditions are associated with modified brain function, namely with cognitive deficits, through largely undetermined processes. More than understanding the underlying mechanism, it is important to devise novel strategies to alleviate diabetes-induced cognitive deficits. Caffeine (a mixed antagonist of adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors) emerges as a promising candidate since caffeine consumption reduces the risk of diabetes and effectively prevents memory deficits caused by different noxious stimuli. Thus, we took advantage of a novel animal model of type 2 diabetes to investigate the behavioural, neurochemical and morphological modifications present in the hippocampus and tested if caffeine consumption might prevent these changes. We used a model closely mimicking the human type 2 diabetes condition, NONcNZO10/LtJ mice, which become diabetic at 7-11 months when kept under an 11% fat diet. Caffeine (1 g/l) was applied in the drinking water from 7 months onwards. Diabetic mice displayed a decreased spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze accompanied by a decreased density of nerve terminal markers (synaptophysin, SNAP25), mainly glutamatergic (vesicular glutamate transporters), and increased astrogliosis (GFAP immunoreactivity) compared to their wild type littermates kept under the same diet. Furthermore, diabetic mice displayed up-regulated A(2A) receptors and down-regulated A(1) receptors in the hippocampus. Caffeine consumption restored memory performance and abrogated the diabetes-induced loss of nerve terminals and astrogliosis. These results provide the first evidence that type 2 diabetic mice display a loss of nerve terminal markers and astrogliosis, which is associated with memory impairment; furthermore, caffeine consumption prevents synaptic dysfunction and astrogliosis as well as memory impairment in type 2 diabetes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Duarte, João M N and Agostinho, Paula M and Carvalho, Rui A. and Cunha, Rodrigo A}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Blotting, Western; Caffeine; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; Hippocampus; Immunohistochemistry; Insulin; Male; Memory Disorders; Mice; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Caffeine consumption prevents diabetes-induced memory impairment and synaptotoxicity in the hippocampus of NONcZNO10/LTJ mice}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021899}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0021899}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}