Cognitive dysfunction and amyloid β accumulation are ameliorated by the ingestion of green soybean extract in aged mice

• Main Authors: Keiko Unno, Tomokazu Konishi, Aimi Nakagawa, Yoshie Narita, Fumiyo Takabayashi, Hitomi Okamura, Ayane Hara, Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Kazuaki Iguchi, Minoru Hoshino, Kensuke Yasui, Yuki Katayanagi, Ryuta Fukutomi, Shinjiro Imai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2015-04-01
• Series: Journal of Functional Foods
• Subjects: Cognitive function; Green soybean; Amyloid β; Hippocampus; Aging; SAMP10
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464615000730

The effects of soybean extracts were investigated in senescence-accelerated (SAMP10) mice, a mouse model of brain senescence with cognitive dysfunction. Mature soybeans are usually yellow. However, the green soybean retains green color after being ripened. Cognitive functions were significantly better-preserved in aged mice fed green soybean than age-matched control mice with or without yellow soybean feeding. Molecular mechanisms of the beneficial effect of green soybean on brain functions were examined through transcriptome analysis of SAMP10 hippocampus. The high expression of Ptgds was significantly associated with green soybean diet, which encodes lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase, a putative endogenous amyloid β(Αβ)-chaperone. In consonance, Aplp1 expression was significantly reduced, a member of amyloid precursor proteins. Furthermore, the amount of Aβ 40 and 42 was reduced in the insoluble fraction of cerebral cortex. These results suggest that the intake of green soybean ameliorates cognitive dysfunction of aged mice through the reduction of Aβ accumulation.