Daily consumption of green tea catechin delays memory regression in aged mice

• Published in: Biogerontology (Dordrecht) 2007-04, Vol.8 (2), p.89-95
• Main Authors: UNNO, Keiko, TAKABAYASHI, Fumiyo, YOSHIDA, Hirotoshi, CHOBA, Daisuke, FUKUTOMI, Rie, KIKUNAGA, Naomi, KISHIDO, Takahiro, OKU, Naoto, HOSHINO, Minoru
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; Aging - metabolism; Aging - pathology; Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Atrophy; Atrophy - metabolism; Atrophy - prevention & control; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Brain - pathology; Camellia sinensis; Catechin; Catechin - chemistry; Catechin - pharmacology; Catechin - therapeutic use; Cellular Senescence - drug effects; Cognition Disorders - metabolism; Cognition Disorders - prevention & control; Cognitive ability; Coronary artery disease; Development. Metamorphosis. Moult. Ageing; Diabetes mellitus; DNA Damage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatrics; Green tea; Heart diseases; Learning - drug effects; Life span; Male; Malignancy; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Models, Animal; Older people; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Quality of life; Senescence; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 1389-5729; 1573-6768
• DOI: 10.1007/s10522-006-9036-8

Almost all elderly people show brain atrophy and cognitive dysfunction, even if they are saved from illness, such as cardiac disease, malignancy and diabetes. Prevention or delay of brain senescence would therefore enhance the quality of life for older persons. Because oxidative stress has been implicated in brain senescence, we investigated the effects of green tea catechin (GT-catechin), a potential antioxidant, in senescence-accelerated (SAMP10) mice. The mouse is a model of brain senescence with short life span, cerebral atrophy and cognitive dysfunction. Mice were fed water containing 0.02% GT-catechin from 1- to 15-month-old. The mean dose was about 35 mg/kg/day. We found that daily consumption of GT-catechin prevented memory regression and DNA oxidative damage in these mice. GT-catechin did not prolong the lifetime of SAMP10 mice, but it did delay brain senescence. These findings suggest that continued intake of GT-catechin might promote healthy ageing of the brain in older persons.