Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of Vitamin E on the Synthesis of Phospholipids and Brain Functions in Old Rats

  • Published:
Neurophysiology Aims and scope

We examined the effects of supplementation of old rats with vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol, αTPh, acetate) on phospholopid (PL) metabolism in the brain and cognitive functions of these animals. Intragastric administration of αTPh to 24-month-old rats for 14 days resulted in a noticeable increase in the level of newly synthesized phosphatidylserine (PS) in the hippocampus of experimental animals, as compared with control rats. At the same time, there was a decrease in the [14C] phosphatidylcholine (PC) content in the hippocampus of experimental rats vs. controls. Changes in the PL levels observed in the hippocampus of experimental animals due to αTPh administration were associated with an increased number of active avoidances and a decreased latent period of these events within acquisition of the respective conditioned reflex in a shuttle box. The data obtained provide evidence that αTPh is a potent modulator of PL metabolism in the hippocampus and functions of the latter at old age.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. R. Mozzi, S. Buratta, and G. Goracci, “Metabolism and functions of phosphatidylserine in mammalian brain,” Neurochem. Res., 28, No. 2, 195-214 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. F. Casamenti, C. Scali, and G. Pepeu, “Phosphatidylserine reverses the age-dependent decrease in cortical acetylcholine release: a microdialysis study,” Eur. J. Pharmacol., 194, No. 1, 194-211 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. M. A. McDaniel, S. F. Maier, and G. O. Einstein, “‘Brain-specific’ nutrients: a memory cure?” Nutrition, 19, Nos. 11–12, 957-975 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. M. L. Bader-Lange, G. Cenini, M. Piroddi, et al., “Loss of phospholipid asymmetry and elevated brain apoptotic protein levels in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease,” Neurobiol. Dis., 29, No. 3, 456-464 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. N. A. Babenko and Ya. A. Semenova, “Effects of long-term fish oil-enriched diet on the sphingolipid metabolism in brain of old rats,” Exp. Gerontol., 45, No. 5, 375-380 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. M. G. Nunzi, F. Milan, D. Guidolin, and G. Toffano, “Dendritic spine loss in hippocampus of aged rats. Effect of brain phosphatidylserine administration,” Neurobiol. Aging, 8, No. 6, 501-510 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. N. A. Babenko and Ya. A. Semenova, “Effects of exogenous phosphatidylserine on cognitive functions and phospholipid metabolism in the hippocampus of aged rats,” Neurosci. Behav. Physiol., 41, No. 1, 97-101 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. M. Akbar, F. Calderon, Z. Wen, and H.-Y. Kim, “Docosahexaenoic acid: a positive modulator of Akt signaling in neuronal survival,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 10858-10863 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. V. Chandra, J. Jasti, P. Kaur, et al., “First structural evidence of a specific inhibition of phospholipase A2 by alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and its implications in inflammation: crystal structure of the complex formed between phospholipase A2 and alpha-tocopherol at 1.8 A resolution,” J. Mol. Biol., 320, No. 2, 215-222 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. T. Abe, X. Lu, Y. Jiang, et al., “Site-directed mutagenesis of the active site of diacylglycerol kinase alpha: calcium and phosphatidylserine stimulate enzyme activity via distinct mechanisms,” Biochem. J., 375, Pt. 3, 673-680 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. N. A. Babenko, L. Kh. Hassouneh, V. S. Kharchenko, and V. V. Garkavenko, “Vitamin E prevents the agedependent and palmitate-induced disturbances of sphingolipid turnover in liver cells,” Age (Dordr.), 34, No. 4, 905-915 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. N. A. Babenko and E. G. Shakhova, “Long-term food restriction prevents aging-associated sphingolipid turnover dysregulation in the brain,” Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr., 58, No. 3, 420-426 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. S. Grether-Beck, A. Timmer, I. Felsner, et al., “Ultraviolet A-induced signaling involves a ceramidemediated autocrine loop leading to ceramide de novo synthesis,” J. Invest. Dermatol., 125, No. 3, 545-553 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. C. Mazière, M. A. Conte, L. Leborgne, et al., “UVA radiation stimulates ceramide production: relationship to oxidative stress and potential role in ERK, JNK, and p38 activation,” Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 281, No. 2, 289-294 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. K. Ayasolla, M. Khan, A. K. Singh, and I. Singh, “Inflammatory mediator and beta-amyloid (25-35)-induced ceramide generation and iNOS expression are inhibited by vitamin E,” Free Radical Biol. Med., 37, No. 3, 325-338 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. K. Yamagata, S. Ichinose, C. Tagawa, and M. Tagami, “Vitamin E regulates SMase activity, GSH levels, and inhibits neuronal death in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats during hypoxia and reoxygenation,” J. Exp. Stroke Transl. Med., 2, No. 2, 41-48 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. S. G. Meyer and H. de Groot, “[14C]serine from phosphatidylserine labels ceramide and sphingomyelin in L929 cells: evidence for a new metabolic relationship between glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids,” Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 410, No. 1, 107-111 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. G. Pepeu, I. M. Pepeu, and L. Amaducci, “A review of phosphatidylserine pharmacological and clinical effects. Is phosphatidylserine a drug for the ageing brain,” Pharmacol. Res., 33, No. 2, 73-80 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. E. G. Bligh and W. J. Dyer, “A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification,” Can. J. Biochem. Physiol., 37, No. 8, 911-917 (1959).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. G. R. Bartlett, “Phosphorus assay in column chromatography,” J. Biol. Chem., 234, No. 3, 466-468 (1959).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. J. E. Vance, “Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine in mammalian cells: two metabolicallyrelated aminophospholipids,” J. Lipid Res., 49, No. 7, 1377-1387 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Wong and J. K. Lodge, “A metabolomic investigation of the effects of vitamin E supplementation in humans,” Nutr. Metab. (Lond.), 9, No. 1, 110 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. J. P. Woronczak, H. Poddana, E. Siucińska, et al., “Metabolic conversion of phosphatidylserine via phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine in rat brain,” Biochem. Mol. Biol. Int., 30, No. 6, 1153-1160 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. G. A. Salvador, F. M. López, and N. M. Giusto, “Agerelated changes in central nervous system phosphatidylserine decarboxylase activity,” J. Neurosci. Res., 70, No. 3, 283-289 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. V. B. Junqueira, B. M. Barros, S. S. Chan, et al., “Aging and oxidative stress,” Mol. Aspects Med., 25, Nos. 1–2, 5-16 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. I. Rodrigues Siqueira, C. Fochesatto, I. L. da Silva Torres, et al., “Aging affects oxidative state in hippocampus, hypothalamus and adrenal glands of Wistar rats,” Life Sci., 78, No. 3, 271-278 (2005.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. A. Navarro, M. J. Bandez, J. M. Lopez-Cepero, et al., “High doses of vitamin E improve mitochondrial dysfunction in rat hippocampus and frontal cortex upon aging,” Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 300, No. 4, R827-R834 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. B. F. Serinkan, Y. Y. Tyurina, H. Babu, et al., “Vitamin E inhibits anti-Fas-induced phosphatidylserine oxidation but does not affect its externalization during apoptosis in Jurkat T cells and their phagocytosis by J774A.1 macrophages,” Antioxid. Redox Signal., 6, No. 2, 227-236 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. K. H. Choy, O. Dean, M. Berk, et al., “Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine treatment on glutathione depletion and short-term spatial memory deficit in 2-cyclohexen- 1-one-treated rats,” Eur. J. Pharmacol., 649, Nos. 1–3, 224-228 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. J. M. Robillard, G. R. Gordon, H. B. Choi, et al., “Glutathione restores the mechanism of synaptic plasticity in aged mice to that of the adult,” PLoS One, 6, No. 5, e20676 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. A. L. Fu, Z. H. Dong, and M. J. Sun, “Protective effect of N-acetyl-L-cysteine of amyloid β-peptide-induced learning and memory deficits in mice,” Brain Res., 1109, No. 1, 201-206 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. J. A. Araujo, G. M. Landsberg, N. W. Milgram, and A. Miolo, “Improvement of short-term memory performance in aged beagles by a nutraceutical supplement containing phosphatidylserine, Ginkgo biloba, vitamin E, and pyridoxine,” Can. Vet. J., 49, No. 4, 379-385 (2008).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. L. Puglielli, R. E. Tanzi, and D. M. Kovacs, “Alzheimer’s disease: the cholesterol connection,” Nat. Neurosci., 6, No. 4, 345-351 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. R. G. Cutler, J. Kelly, K. Storie, et al., “Involvement of oxidative stress-induced abnormalities in ceramide and cholesterol metabolism in brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease,” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101, No. 7, 2070-2075 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. C. Costantini, R. Weindruch, G. Della Valle, and L. Puglielli, “A TrkA-to-p75NTR molecular switch activates amyloid β-peptide generation during aging,” Biochem. J., 391, Pt. 1, 59-67 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. L. Puglielli, B. C. Ellis, A. J. Saunders, and D. M. Kovacs, “Ceramide stabilizes beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 and promotes amyloid beta-peptide biogenesis,” J. Biol. Chem., 278, No. 22, 19777-19783 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. N. A. Crivello, I. H. Rosenberg, G. E. Dallal, et al., “Age-related changes in neutral sphingomyelin-specific phospholipase C activity in striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex: implication for sensitivity to stress and inflammation,” Neurochem. Int., 47, No. 8, 573-579 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. V. Mansat, G. Laurent, T. Levade, et al., “The protein kinase C activators phorbol esters and phosphatidylserine inhibit neutral sphingomyelinase activation, ceramide generation, and apoptosis triggered by daunorubicin,” Cancer Res., 57, No. 23, 5300-5304 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Isra University, Amman, Jordan

    L. K. M. Hassouneh

  2. Institute of Biology, Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

    L. K. M. Hassouneh

Authors
  1. L. K. M. Hassouneh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to L. K. M. Hassouneh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hassouneh, L.K.M. Effects of Vitamin E on the Synthesis of Phospholipids and Brain Functions in Old Rats. Neurophysiology 50, 166–172 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-018-9733-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-018-9733-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation