|
Guest
|
Micron. 2009 Oct 8;
A ketogenic diet increases succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and
recovers age-related decrease in numeric density of SDH-positive
mitochondria in cerebellar Purkinje cells of late-adult rats.
Balietti M, Giorgetti B, Di Stefano G, Casoli T, Platano D, Solazzi M,
Bertoni-Freddari C, Aicardi G, Lattanzio F, Fattoretti P.
Neurobiology of Aging Laboratory, INRCA, Via Birarelli 8, 60121 Ancona,
Italy; Cellular Bioenergetics Laboratory, INRCA, Via Birarelli 8, 60121
Ancona, Italy.
Ketogenic diets (KDs) have been applied in the therapy of paediatric
epilepsy for nearly a century. Recently, beneficial results have also
been reported on metabolic disorders and neurodegeneration, designating
aged individuals as possible recipients. However, KDs efficacy decrease
after the suckling period, and very little is known about their impact
on the aging brain. In the present study, the effect on the neuronal
energetic supply of a KD containing 20% of medium chain triglycerides
(MCT) was investigated in Purkinje cells of the cerebellar vermis of
late-adult (19-month-old) rats. The animals were fed with the KD for 8
weeks, and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) activity was cytochemically
determined. The following parameters of SDH-positive mitochondria were
evaluated by the use of a computer-assisted image analysis system
connected to a transmission electron microscope: numeric density (Nv),
average volume (V), volume density (Vv), and cytochemical precipitate
area/mitochondrial area (R). Young, age-matched, and old animals fed
with a standard chow were used as controls. We found significantly
higher Nv in MCT-KD-fed rats vs. all the control groups, in young vs.
late-adult and old controls, and in late-adult vs. old controls. V and
Vv showed no significant differences among the groups. R was
significantly higher in MCT-KD-fed rats vs. all the control animals, and
in old vs. young and late-adult controls. Present data indicate that the
ketogenic treatment counteracted age-related decrease in numeric density
of SDH-positive mitochondria, and enhanced their metabolic efficiency.
Given the central role of mitochondrial impairment in age-related
physio-pathological changes of the brain, these findings may represent a
starting point to examine novel potentialities for KDs.
PMID: 19879153 |
|
|
