Effects of Aging and Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction Supplementation on Brain Arginine Metabolism in Rats

• Published in: Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
• Main Author: Mazlan M.; Hamezah H.S.; Taridi N.M.; Jing Y.; Liu P.; Zhang H.; Wan Ngah W.Z.; Damanhuri H.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85039163496&doi=10.1155%2f2017%2f6019796&partnerID=40&md5=f0ad50c5de8363ecf9eb31850b609a15

Accumulating evidence suggests that altered arginine metabolism is involved in the aging and neurodegenerative processes. This study sought to determine the effects of age and vitamin E supplementation in the form of tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) on brain arginine metabolism. Male Wistar rats at ages of 3 and 21 months were supplemented with TRF orally for 3 months prior to the dissection of tissue from five brain regions. The tissue concentrations of L-arginine and its nine downstream metabolites were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. We found age-related alterations in L-arginine metabolites in the chemical- and region-specific manners. Moreover, TRF supplementation reversed age-associated changes in arginine metabolites in the entorhinal cortex and cerebellum. Multiple regression analysis revealed a number of significant neurochemical-behavioral correlations, indicating the beneficial effects of TRF supplementation on memory and motor function. © 2017 Musalmah Mazlan et al.