The increased potassium intake improves cognitive performance and attenuates histopathological markers in a model of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by hallmarks that include an accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), inflammation, oxidative stress and synaptic dysfunction, which lead to a decrease in cognitive function. To date, the onset and progression of AD have been associated with pathologies such as hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension, a disease with a high incidence worldwide, is characterized by a chronic increase in blood pressure. Interestingly, this disease has a close relationship to the eating behavior of patients because high Na(+) intake is a significant risk factor for hypertension. In fact, a decrease in Na(+) consumption, along with an increase in K(+) intake, is a primary non-pharmacological approach to preventing hypertension. In the present work, we examined whether an increase in K(+) intake affects the expression of certain neuropathological markers or the cognitive performance of a murine model of AD. We observed that an increase in K(+) intake leads to a change in the aggregation pattern of the Aβ peptide, a partial decrease in some epitopes of tau phosphorylation and improvement in the cognitive performance. The recovery in cognitive performance was correlated with a significant improvement in the generation of long-term potentiation. We also observed a decrease in markers related to inflammation and oxidative stress such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). Together, our data support the idea that changes in diet, such as an increase in K(+) intake, may be important in the prevention of AD onset as a non-pharmacological therapy.

Diuretics: A possible keystone in upholding cognitive health

“…As stated earlier, potassium inhibits the formational rate of reactive oxygen species, and a high dietary potassium intake could improve cognitive function in mice 12,13. These findings both lend credibility to the present finding that potassium-sparing diuretics are associated with lower rates of dementia.…”

“…McCabe and colleagues12 demonstrated that potassium inhibits the formational rate of reactive oxygen species in endothelial cells. Cisternas and colleagues13 found that increasing dietary potassium produced better cognitive performance in mice. Their data also suggested that dietary increases in potassium at least partially prevented oxidative stress.…”

Pharmacological Basis for Use of Armillaria mellea Polysaccharides in Alzheimer’s Disease: Antiapoptosis and Antioxidation

“…As a biomarker of oxidative damage, 4-HNE is a cytotoxic end product of lipid peroxidation, which is essential for cell survival signaling [ 23 ]. The increase of 4-HNE triggers inflammatory responses and elevates ROS [ 24 ]. Comparatively, AMPS induced significant antioxidative effects, as shown by the suppression on 4-HNE expressions, the reductions in ROS levels, and increases in the activities of the endogenous antioxidants SOD and GSH-Px, which play an important role in removing oxygen-free radicals.…”

Electrolyte disorders and aging: risk factors for delirium in patients undergoing orthopedic surgeries

“…Although the role of postoperative electrolyte disorders in postoperative delirium is still debatable [15, 22, 23], the presence of an electrolyte disorders or an abnormal electrolyte channel is associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders including AD [24], dementia [25] and depression [26]. Cisternas et al found that an increased potassium intake can improve cognitive performance and might be important in the prevention of AD onset [27]. Cherbuin’s study confirmed that higher intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium are associated with a reduced risk of developing vascular dementia [28].…”