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Xanthohumol improved cognitive flexibility in young mice

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Title Xanthohumol improved cognitive flexibility in young mice
Names Zamzow, Daniel R. (creator)
Elias, Valerie (creator)
Legette, LeeCole L. (creator)
Choi, Jaewoo (creator)
Stevens, J. Fred (creator)
Magnusson, Kathy R. (creator)
Date Issued 2014-12-15 (iso8601)
Note This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by Elsevier and can be found at: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/behavioural-brain-research/
Abstract The protein palmitoylation cycle has been shown to be important for protein signaling and
synaptic plasticity. Data from our lab showed a change in the palmitoylation status of certain
proteins with age. A greater percentage of the NMDA receptor subunits GluN2A and GluN2B,
along with Fyn and PSD95 proteins, were palmitoylated in the old mice. The higher level of
protein palmitoylation was also associated with poorer learning scores. Xanthohumol is a
prenylated flavonoid that has been shown to increase beta-oxidation in the livers of rodents,
decreasing circulating free fatty acids in the serum. What is not known is whether the application
of xanthohumol could influence the palmitoylation status of proteins. In this study, young and old
mice were fed a diet supplemented with xanthohumol for 8 weeks. Spatial memory was
assessed with the Morris water maze and protein palmitoylation quantified. The young
xanthohumol-treated mice showed a significant improvement in cognitive flexibility. However,
this appeared to be associated with the young control mice, on a defined, phytoestrogen-deficient
diet, performing as poorly as the old mice and xanthohumol reversing this effect. The
old mice receiving xanthohumol did not significantly improve their learning scores. Xanthohumol
treatment was unable to affect the palmitoylation of NMDA receptor subunits and associated
proteins assessed in this study. This evidence suggests that xanthohumol may play a role in
improving cognitive flexibility in young animals, but it appears to be ineffective in adjusting the
palmitoylation status of neuronal proteins in aged individuals.
Genre Article
Topic Palmitoylation
Identifier Zamzow, D. R., Elias, V., Legette, L. L., Choi, J., Stevens, J. F., & Magnusson, K. R. (2014). Xanthohumol improved cognitive flexibility in young mice. Behavioural Brain Research, 275, 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.045

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