Differential effects of quercetin on hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in mice fed with different diets related with oxidative stress

High fat diets induce oxidative stress which may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Quercetin is a kind of antioxidant that has neuroprotective effects and potent7ial pro-oxidant effects as well. In this study, we evaluated cognitive function in mice fed with high fat diets and basic diets with or without quercetin. Male Chinese Kunming (KM) mice were randomly assigned to five groups fed with basic diet (Control), basic diet with 0.005% (w/w) quercetin (CQ1), high fat diet (HFD), HFD with 0.005% (w/w) quercetin (HFDQ1) and 0.01% (w/w) quercetin (HFDQ2) for 13 weeks. At the end of the study period, fasting blood glucose (FBG), plasma and hippocampal markers of oxidative stress, plasma lipid status, Morris water maze as well as hippocampal relative mRNA expression of akt, bdnf, camkII, creb, gsk-3β, nrf2 and pi3k were examined. The results suggested that in comparison to the control group, the escape latency was increased and percent time spent in the target quadrant was decreased, with increased reactive carbonyls, malondialdehyde (MDA) and declined expression of pi3k, akt, nrf2, creb and bdnf in the hippocampus of HFD and CQ1 groups. Conversely, higher quercetin supplemented to HFD improved antioxidant capacity and reversed cognitive decline completely. Significant correlations between the redox status and cognition-related gene expression were observed as well (P < 0.05). Thus, in the case of oxidative stress, an appropriate dose of quercetin can attenuate oxidative stress to improve hippocampus dependent cognition. But under a balanced situation, quercetin exerts pro-oxidant effects to impair cognition.