14-07-08(19:55:11)
Authors:
Freeman LR 1
Granholm AC 1,2
Institutions:
1 Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
2 Center on Aging, Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC
Title of abstract : dietary fat and cholesterol effects on developing hippocampal grafts in oculo
Abstract text:
The “Western Diet”, containing high levels of saturated fat, hydrogenated fat (“trans fats”), and cholesterol is detrimental to many aspects of health, leading to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. However, the effects of a western diet on the brain are not currently understood. We have grafted hippocampal tissue from embryonic day 18 rats to the anterior eye chamber of 16-month old host animals that were fed either a control, normal rat chow diet or a 10% hydrogenated coconut oil + 2% cholesterol diet (HF/HC) for six weeks. One eye per rat received an IL-1 inhibitor (IL-1Ra, Kineret) and the other served as a saline control. The HF/HC diet lead to a marked reduction in hippocampal transplant growth, and this effect was blocked by the IL-1 inhibitor. Graft morphology was evaluated with hematoxylin-eosin staining and preliminary results showed differences in cellular organization between treatments; the HF/HC diet appears to be detrimental for organotypic development of the hippocampal grafts compared to the control diet, but IL-1Ra attenuated this organizational effect. Grafts were evaluated with immunofluorescence to measure activated microglia, neurogenesis, and vascularization. Preliminary results suggested that the grafts to hosts receiving the HF/HC diet exhibited an altered morphology compared to controls. This will have a major impact on treatment strategies for degenerative disorders of aging, since dietary intake has been found to play a major role in their onset and progression. The use of IL-1Ra also provides a potential therapeutic for aging disorders and graft survival in elderly hosts. Supported by AG04418.
