• Hui Li, Tingting Zheng, Fuzhi Lian, Tong Xu, Wenya Yin, and Yugang Jiang.
• Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, PR China.
• Nutrition. 2022 Jan 1; 93: 111473.

ObjectivesAs the global aging phenomenon intensifies, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is gradually increasing. Diet appears to be an effective way to prevent and delay the progression of AD. Previous studies have found that cognitive impairment and neuronal damage were effectively alleviated by blueberry extract (BBE) in AD mice, but its mechanism is still unclear. The aims of this study were to detect the main anthocyanins of BBE; then to verify the protective effects of anthocyanin-rich BBE on hippocampal neurons and the promotion of autophagy; and finally to investigate the main protective effects and mechanisms of protocatechuic acid (PCA), a major metabolite of BBE, for promoting autophagy and thus playing a neuroprotective role.MethodsAPP/PS1 mice were given 150 mg/kg BBE daily for 16 wk. Morphology of neurons was observed and autophagy-related proteins were detected.ResultsNeuron damage in morphology was reduced and the expression of autophagy-related proteins in APP/PS1 mice were promoted after BBE treatment. In vitro, Aβ25-35-induced cytotoxicity, including decreased neuron viability and increased levels of lactate dehydrogenase and reactive oxygen species, was effectively reversed by PCA. Furthermore, by adding autophagy inducers rapamycin and autophagy inhibitors Bafilomycin A1, it was verified that degradation of autophagosomes was upregulated and autophagy was promoted by PCA.ConclusionThis study elucidated the mechanism of BBE for reducing neuronal damage by promoting neuronal autophagy and proved PCA may be the main bioactive metabolite of BBE for neuroprotective effects, providing a basis for dietary intervention in AD.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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