Abstract
Aging is widely thought to be associated with oxidative stress. Momordica charantia (MC) is a classic vegetable and traditional herbal medicine widely consumed in Asia, and M. charantia polysaccharide (MCP) is the main bioactive ingredient of MC. We previously reported an antioxidative and neuroprotective effect of MCP in models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and hemorrhage injury. However, the role played by MCP in neurodegenerative diseases, especially during aging, remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of MCP against oxidative stress and brain damage in a D-galactose-induced aging model (DGAM). The Morris water maze test was performed to evaluate the spatial memory function of model rats. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured and telomerase activity was determined. The results showed that MCP treatment attenuated spatial memory dysfunction induced by D-galactose. In addition, MCP increased antioxidant capacity by decreasing MDA and increasing SOD and GSH levels. MCP treatment also improved telomerase activity in aging rats. Mechanistically, MCP promoted the entry of both Nrf2 and β-Catenin into the nucleus, which is the hallmark of antioxidation signaling pathway activation. This study highlights a role played by MCP in ameliorating aging-induced oxidative stress injury and reversing the decline in learning and memory capacity. Our work provides evidence that MCP administration might be a potential antiaging strategy.
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This work was supported by Grants of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 81671164) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20211348).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Yue Jun, Peng Guo, Ming Li and Xiaotong Hu. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yuexinzi Jin, Wan Wang and Xuewen Wei. Supervision and proofreading of this article were performed by Suhua Qi, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Yue, J., Guo, P., Jin, Y. et al. Momordica charantia polysaccharide ameliorates D-galactose-induced aging through the Nrf2/β-Catenin signaling pathway. Metab Brain Dis 38, 1067–1077 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-022-01103-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-022-01103-4