Citrulline prevents age-related LTP decline in old rats

Antonin Ginguay (1, 2, 3) , Anne Regazzetti (4) , Olivier Laprevote (4) , Christophe Moinard (3) , Jean-Pascal de Bandt (2, 3) , Luc Cynober (2, 3) , Jean-Marie Billard (5) , Bernadette Allinquant (1) , Patrick Dutar (6, 1)

1 IPNP - U1266 Inserm - Institut de psychiatrie et neurosciences de Paris
2 Hôpital Cochin [AP-HP]
3 EA 4466 - Stress Cellulaire : Physiopathologie, Stratégies Nutritionnelles et Thérapeutiques Innovantes
4 COMETE - UMR 8638 - Chimie Organique, Médicinale et Extractive et Toxicologie Expérimentale
5 COMETE - Mobilités : Vieillissement, Pathologie, Santé
6 LAC - Laboratoire Aimé Cotton

The prevalence of cognitive decline is increasing as the ageing population is considerably growing. Restricting this age-associated process has become a challenging public health issue. The age-related increase in oxidative stress plays a major role in cognitive decline, because of its harmful effect on functional plasticity of the brain, such as long-term potentiation (LTP). Here, we show that citrulline (Cit) has powerful antioxidant properties that can limit ex vivo oxidative stress-induced LTP impairment in the hippocampus. We also illustrate that a three-month Cit supplementation has a protective effect on LTP in aged rats in vivo. The identification of a Cit oxidation byproduct in vitro suggests that the antioxidant properties of Cit could result from its own oxidation. Cit supplementation may be a promising preventive nutritional approach to limit age-related cognitive decline.

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]

Antonin Ginguay, Anne Regazzetti, Olivier Laprevote, Christophe Moinard, Jean-Pascal de Bandt, et al.. Citrulline prevents age-related LTP decline in old rats. Scientific Reports, 2019, 9, pp.20138. ⟨10.1038/s41598-019-56598-2⟩. ⟨hal-03041903⟩