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B Vitamins Supplementation Can Improve Cognitive Functions and May Relate to the Enhancement of Transketolase Activity in A Rat Model of Cognitive Impairment Associated with High-fat Diets

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Abstract

Objective

To determine whether B vitamin treatment was sufficient to reduce cognitive impairment associated with high-fat diets in rats and to modulate transketolase (TK) expression and activity.

Methods

To test this, we separated 50 rats into five groups that were either fed a standard chow diet (controls) or a high-fat diet (experimental groups H0, H1, H2, and H3). H0 group animals received no additional dietary supplementation, while H1 group animals were administered 100 mg/kg body weight (BW) thiamine, 100 mg/kg BW riboflavin, and 250 mg/kg BW niacin each day, and group H2 animals received daily doses of 100 mg/kg BW pyridoxine, 100 mg/kg BW cobalamin, and 5 mg/kg BW folate. Animals in the H3 group received the B vitamin regimens administered to both H1 and H2 each day.

Results

Over time, group H0 exhibited greater increases in BW and fat mass relative to other groups. When spatial and memory capabilities in these animals were evaluated via conditioned taste aversion (CTA) and Morris Water Maze (MWM), we found B vitamin treatment was associated with significant improvements relative to untreated H0 controls. Similarly, B vitamin supplementation was associated with elevated TK expression in erythrocytes and hypothalamus of treated animals relative to those in H0 (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Together, these findings suggest B vitamin can modulate hypothalamic TK activity to reduce the severity of cognitive deficits in a rat model of obesity. As such, B vitamin supplementation may be a beneficial method for reducing cognitive dysfunction in clinical settings associated with high-fat diets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Ying Zheng & Wen-jun Ma

  2. Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Zhi-yong Chen

  3. Institute of Nutrition and Health, Medical College of Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266021, China

    Qiu-zhen Wang, Hui Liang & Ai-guo Ma

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  1. Ying Zheng
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  2. Zhi-yong Chen
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  3. Wen-jun Ma
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  4. Qiu-zhen Wang
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  5. Hui Liang
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  6. Ai-guo Ma
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Correspondence to Ai-guo Ma.

Additional information

This study was supported by a grant from Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (No. A2018282).

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Zheng, Y., Chen, Zy., Ma, Wj. et al. B Vitamins Supplementation Can Improve Cognitive Functions and May Relate to the Enhancement of Transketolase Activity in A Rat Model of Cognitive Impairment Associated with High-fat Diets. CURR MED SCI 41, 847–856 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-021-2456-5

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