Blueberry Supplementation Attenuates Inflammation and Oxidative Stress and Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Brains of Middle-Aged Mice Consuming a High Fat Diet

Previously it was demonstrated that 9 month old mice fed a high fat diet (HFD, Harlan, TD.06414, 60% calories from lard fat) for five months had impaired memory; however supplementation of the HFD with 4% blueberry (BB, freeze-dried extract, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council) reduced these memory deficits. The brains of these mice were dissected, homogenized, and assayed with ELISA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and were evaluated for oxidative stress by examining 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE). There was a significant increase in hippocampal BDNF in the animals fed the HFD + BB (273±56 pg/ml/per mg of tissue) in comparison with the low fat diet (LFD, TD.08806, 10% calories from fat) and HFD-fed animals without BB supplementation (44±3 and 46±2 pg/ml, respectively). There was also a trend suggesting that animals fed a LFD + BB had elevated BDNF levels (101±57 pg/ml). Greater levels of TNF-alpha were found in the cerebral cortex of mice fe...