Protective effect of the orientin on noise-induced cognitive impairments in mice

• Orientin alleviates the noise-induced cognitive impairments in mice.
• Orientin attenuates the noise-induced oxidative stress in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
• Orientin improves neurotransmission and increases synapse-associated proteins in the noise-exposed mice.

There is increasing evidence that chronic noise stress impairs cognition and induces oxidative stress in the brain. Recently, orientin, a phenolic compound abundant in some fruits, millet, and herbs, has been shown to have antioxidant properties. This study investigated the potential effects of orientin against chronic noise-induced cognitive decline and its underlying mechanisms. A moderate-intensity noise exposure model was used to investigate the effects of orientin on behavior and biochemical alterations in mice. After 3 weeks of the noise exposure, the mice were treated with orientin (20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg, oral gavage) for 3 weeks. The chronic noise exposure impaired the learning and memory in mice in the Morris water maze and step-through tests. The noise exposure also decreased exploration and interest in a novel environment in the open field test. The administration of orientin significantly reversed noise-induced alterations in these behavior tests. Moreover, the orientin treatment significantly improved the noise-induced alteration of serum corticosterone and catecholamine levels and oxidative stress in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, the orientin treatment ameliorated the noise-induced decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and synapse-associated proteins (synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Thus, orientin exerts protective effects on noise-induced cognitive decline in mice, specifically by improving central oxidative stress, neurotransmission, and increases synapse-associated proteins. Therefore, supplementation with orientin-enriched food or fruit could be beneficial as a preventive strategy for chronic noise-induced cognitive decline.