An Antioxidant Dietary Supplement Improves Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Serum of Aged Dogs: Preliminary Results

Abstract

Biological aging is characterized by a progressive accumulation of oxidative damage and decreased endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms. The production of oxidants by normal metabolism damages proteins, lipids, and nucleotides, which may contribute to cognitive impairment. In this study 36 dogs were randomly divided into four groups and fed croquettes of different compositions for 6 months. We monitored derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) levels in dogs' plasma samples as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum levels at the beginning and at the end of the dietary regime. Our results showed that a dietary regime, enriched with antioxidants, induced a significant decrease of plasma levels of dROMs (p < 0.005) and a significant increase in BDNF serum levels (p < 0.005) after six months. Thus, we hypothesized a possible role of the diet in modulating pro- and antioxidant species as well as BDNF levels in plasma and serum, respectively. In conclusion the proposed diet enriched with antioxidants might be considered a valid alternative and a valuable strategy to counteract aging-related cognitive decline in elderly dogs.

The effect of dietary supplementation on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cognitive functioning in Alzheimer’s dementia

“…While the clinical improvement was supported by the enhancements in the serological data, no neurological mechanism of action was established in the study. Additionally, animal studies and at least one human study have shown that many of the nutrients in APMC, including polysaccharides, antioxidants, resveratrol, and omega-3 fatty acids, have individual benefits on cognition and memory [17][18][19][20][21] and can increase BDNF levels [22][23][24][25]. The sum of these findings suggests that long-term oral supplementation can modulate BDNF production in the brain and can also explain the memory improvements demonstrated in our prior studies.…”

Changes in Plasma Metabolites Concentrations in Obese Dogs Supplemented With Anti-oxidant Compound

“…In dogs and cats, the availability of functional food for weight loss, against behavioral disorders, and chronic inflammation, has been discussed by many researchers ( 23 – 28 ), and the role of supplements with anti-oxidant and anti-inflamatory effect has been reported ( 29 , 30 ) There are many reports discussing anti-obesity effects of anti-oxidant polyphenols such as isoflavone ( 31 – 33 ) anthocyanin ( 34 – 36 ), catechin ( 37 – 39 ), and quercetin ( 40 – 42 ). Especially, quercetin glycoside is a well-known compound since its metabolic pathway route in human intestine is clarified ( 43 ).…”

Functional Pet Foods

“…Some scientific evidence has pointed out the efficacy of selected ingredients, as part of a commercially available diet, in relieving inflammatory conditions in pets by means of an immune modulatory and antioxidant activity [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57].…”

“…In some cases, substances endowed with anti-inflammatory as well as immune-modulatory activity can drastically influence the clinical outcome of lethal pathologies, that is, Leishmania [63]. In other cases, the selection of substances with a remarkable antioxidant activity also acquires a pivotal role in other clinical conditions, which are not strictly related to adverse food reactions, that is, cognitive impairment, as a consequence of aging or pathologies such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease [52,64,65].…”

“…In this regard, we studied the effect of a nutraceutical diet based on fish proteins, rice carbohydrates, G. frondosa, C. longa, C. papaya, P. granatum, A. vera, P. cuspidatum, Solanum lycopersicum, Vitis vinifera, R. officinalis, and an Omega 3/6 ratio of 1:0.8 on cognitive decline of nine elderly dogs over a period of 6 months [52]. Specifically, derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites, biological antioxidant potential levels, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were evaluated in dogs' plasma samples at the beginning and at the end of the dietary regime.…”