Protective effect of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone in cognitive impairment and oxidative stress associated with the consumption of a high-fat diet.

HERRERA, GUADALUPE; DRA. M. JAZMÍN SILVERO C; DRA. MERCEDES LASAGA; DRA. SCIMONELLI TERESA.; DRA. MARÍA CECILIA BECERRA

VIRTUAL

Congreso; 6ta Reunión Internacional de Ciencias Farmacéuticas (RICiFa 2020+1).; 2021

RICiFa

Long term consumption of high-fat diet (HFD) could induce neuroinflammation and enhanced oxidative stress. However, consumption of a HFD for a short period of time can exacerbate the inflammatory response to a mild immune challenge, especially in the hippocampus, an area involved in contextual memory. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) exerts antiinflammatory and neuroprotective effects. We studied whether short-term (5 days) HFD consumption plus a mild immune challenge (LPS 10µg/Kg), could induce cognitive deficits and an increase of oxidative stress. Our results show that short-term HFD does not affect body weight, however, produces changes in total cholesterol. HFD impaired contextual fear memory in rats that received LPS. This effect was associated with an increase of markers of oxidative stress in the dorsal hippocampus. We observed an increase in advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of 1182 and 183 per cent, respectively. The treatment with α-MSH reverses both effects: the impairment in contextual memory and the increase in oxidative stress.Our results indicate that HFD consumption for a short period sensitizes central nervous system (CNS) to a subsequent immune challenge and produces impairment in the contextual fear memory that could be related to changes in oxidative stress. α-MSH could have a protective effect.