HD Lighthouse Contributing Editor's Comment: The news just gets better and better about blueberries. Based on animal studies, we already knew that blueberries are a powerful antioxidant and a stimulus for the generation of new brain cells. The new study shows that older rats who were fed a blueberry enriched diet were able to generate the neuroprotective heat shock protein 70 response to a inflammatory stressor at levels comparable to young rats. Older rats who were not fed the blueberries had a decreased ability to generate HSP 70.

Heat shock proteins are important for two reason. They are produced when cells are stressed by heat or toxins to help them deal with the stressor. They also have a maintenance role in cells as well, helping newly made proteins to fold properly (their chaperone function) and carrying old ones off for degradation. The reduction in this response may be one of the reasons why neurons lose their ability to cope with the HD protein over time and disease onset occurs.

-- Marsha L. Miller, Ph.D.
Posted to the HDL: 29 May 2006

Blueberry supplemented diet reverses age-related decline in hippocampal HSP70 neuroprotection.

R. Galli, D. Bielinski, A. Szprengiel, B. Shukitt-Hale, J. Joseph

Dietary supplementation with antioxidant rich foods can decrease the level of oxidative stress in brain regions and can ameliorate age-related deficits in neuronal and behavioral functions. We examined whether short-term supplementation with blueberries might enhance the brain's ability to generate a heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mediated neuroprotective response to stress. Hippocampal (HC) regions from young and old rats fed either a control or a supplemented diet for 10 weeks were subjected to an in vitro inflammatory challenge (LPS) and then examined for levels of HSP70 at various times post LPS (30, 90 and 240 min). While baseline levels of HSP70 did not differ among the various groups compared to young control diet rats, increases in HSP70 protein levels in response to an in vitro LPS challenge were significantly less in old as compared to young control diet rats at the 30, 90 and 240 min time points. However, it appeared that the blueberry diet completely restored the HSP70 response to LPS in the old rats at the 90 and 240 min times. This suggests that a short-term blueberry (BB) intervention may result in improved HSP70-mediated protection against a number of neurodegenerative processes in the brain. Results are discussed in terms of the multiplicity of the effects of the BB supplementation which appear to range from antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activity to signaling. # # #

Source: Neurobiology of Aging, 2006 Feb; Volume 27, Issue 2, Pages 344-350

printer friendly version

 

	Read the HDAC/HDLighthouse Forum. Post your comments