Enhancement of cognitive functions by rice bran extract in a neuroinflammatory mouse model via regulation of PPARγ

Abstract

Activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), has been recently demonstrated to attenuate inflammatory response and improve cognitive dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. RBE is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which were recently considered as new PPARγ modulators. Accordingly, the effect of RBE on memory and cognition in a neuroinflammatory mouse model was examined to investigate whether RBE improves cognition through modulating PPARγ. RBE administration significantly improved the spatial working, reference memory and non-spatial recognition memory where the effect was abolished in the presence of a PPARγ antagonist (GW9662). Moreover, nuclear brain extracts obtained from mice treated with RBE showed increase in the PPARγ binding to its response element, indicating activation of the receptor, which was attenuated in the presence of GW9662. These findings demonstrate that the involvement of RBE in the beneficial effects on cognitive performance is correlated with its action on PPARγ receptors.