curcumin and Dementia--Vascular

Extracts from Huperzia serrata (HS) function as a cholinesterase inhibitor and a glutamic acid receptor antagonist. We tested a supplement containing HS extracts, curcumin, and others in dementia patients and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in an open label study. Most patients with Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and MCI individuals exhibited improvements in cognitive functions, as assessed by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale Japanese version. The scores were significantly improved at 6-12 weeks compared with baseline scores (p = 0.007) and at 22-28 weeks (p = 0.004). Thus, this supplement may be administered to dementia patients as well as MCI individuals.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alkaloids; Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals; Cognition Disorders; Curcumin; Dementia, Vascular; Dietary Supplements; Female; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Retrospective Studies; Sesquiterpenes; Treatment Outcome

Cerebral hypoperfusion or aging often results in the disturbances of cholesterol and lipoprotein, which have been well depicted as a common pathological status contributing to neurodegenerative diseases such as vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The pathway of the liver X receptor-β (LXR-β)/retinoic X receptor-α (RXR-α)/ABCA1 plays a vital role in lipoprotein metabolism. Curcumin, a kind of phenolic compound, has been widely used. It has been reported that curcumin can reduce the levels of cholesterol in serum, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the effects of curcumin on the cholesterol level in brain, vascular cognitive impairment and explored whether the mechanisms for those effects are through activating LXR-β/RXR-α and ABCA1 expression and apoA-I. With a Morris water test, we found that curcumin treatment could attenuate cognitive impairment. With HE and Nissl staining, we found that curcumin could significantly ameliorate the abnormal changes of pyramidal neurons. Meanwhile, the expression of LXR-β, RXR-α, ABCA1 and apoA-I mRNA and protein were increased in a dose-dependent manner after curcumin treatment. Interestingly, both serum HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were statistically higher in the curcumin treatment group than those other groups. We conclude that curcumin has the ability to activate permissive LXR-β/RXR-α signaling and thereby modulate ABCA1 and apoA-I-mediated cholesterol transmembrane transportation, which is a new preventive and therapeutic strategy for cerevascular diseases.

Topics: Animals; Apolipoprotein A-I; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter 1; Brain; Brain Ischemia; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL; Chronic Disease; Cognition Disorders; Curcumin; Dementia, Vascular; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Gene Expression; Homeostasis; Lipid Metabolism; Liver X Receptors; Orphan Nuclear Receptors; Phytotherapy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Retinoid X Receptor alpha; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction