Daily ingestion of green tea catechins from adulthood suppressed
brain dysfunction in aged mice
Issue title: Integrated Functions of Diet in Anti-Aging and
Cancer Prevention: Papers from the 4th International Niigata Symposium on Diet
and Health, 20–30 November 2008, Niigata, Japan
Affiliations: Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of
Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan | Junior College, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka,
Japan | Research Team for Molecular Biomarker, Tokyo
Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Keiko Unno, Laboratory of Bioorganic
Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Shizuoka, 52-1
Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan. Tel.: +81 54 264 5731; Fax: +81 54
264 5909; E-mail: unno@u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp
Abstract: Oxidative damage is believed to be an important cause of senescence.
We have previously found that green tea catechins (GT-catechin), potent
antioxidants, decrease oxidative damage to DNA and suppress brain dysfunction
in aged senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP10) when ingested from the age of 1
month to the age of 12 months. To clarify the effect of GT-catechin on
suppression of brain senescence, we investigated the effect of starting period
to ingest GT-catechin. Six- or 9-month-old SAMP10 mice were allowed free access
to water containing 0.02% GT-catechin. SAMP10 mice exhibit senescence
characteristics such as shortened life span, atrophied forebrain and lowered
learning and memory abilities. Learning ability was significantly higher in
mice that ingested GT-catechin from the age of 6 months to 12 months when
compared with same-aged control mice drank water without GT-catechin. Starting
GT-catechin intake from the age of 9 months tended to improve learning ability.
The ages of 6 and 9 months are thought to be adult and middle ages,
respectively in SAMP10 mice. This result suggested that GT-catechin was helpful
in suppressing brain dysfunction with aging even when ingestion started at the
adult age.
Keywords: Green tea catechin, brain dysfunction, adulthood, oxidative damage, loss of synapse
DOI: 10.3233/BIO-2009-1080
Journal: BioFactors, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 263-271, 2008
