Scope 5‐heptadecylresorcinol (AR‐C17) is a biomarker for whole grain rye consumption, which is also an important active component with potential health benefits. The aim of this study is to investigate the protective effect of AR‐C17 on cognitive deficits in amyloid precursor protein (APP)/PS1 transgenic mice. Methods and results Cognitive function is evaluated using Morris water maze test. The result shows that oral administration of AR‐C17 (150 mg kg−1 day−1) for 5 months can ameliorate APP/PS1 transgenic mice memory impairment and improve learning ability. Moreover, AR‐C17 treatment can notably reduce β‐amyloid plaques accumulation and tau hyperphosphorylation while enhancing a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10), postsynaptic density protein‐95 (PSD‐95), and synaptophysin protein expression in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Furthermore, AR‐C17 treatment reduces neuroinflammation by inhibiting microglial activation and astrogliosis as well as decreasing NOD‐like receptor family, pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome‐mediated IL‐1β production and activating the sirtuin 3 (SIRT3)/superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) signaling pathway. Additionally, AR‐C17 consumption significantly modulated gut dysbiosis in APP/PS1 transgenic mice through improving the relative abundance of Akkermansia and Lactobacillus while reducing the abundance of Clostridium and Desulfovibr according to16S rRNA analysis. Conclusion AR‐C17 can be applied as a potential functional food ingredient to ameliorate cognitive impairments and prevent Alzheimer's disease.

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The organization of F-actin in the ventricular system has been reported to display pronounced regional differences with respect to shape, size, and development. However, the real roles played by F-actin in these cells cannot be understood unless the precise localization of F-actin is defined. In the present study, we used double-fluorescence labeling to further examine the localization of F-actin in the ependymocytes and its spatial relation to the other two cytoskeletal components, microtubules and intermediate filaments. Then we converted fluorescence signals for F-actin to peroxidase/DAB reaction products by use of a phalloidin-based FITC-anti-FITC system. This detection technique provided an overview of the distribution of F-actin in the ependymocytes at the ultrastructural level, and has been proven to be helpful in correlating light and electron microscopic investigations.

Although actin is known to play important roles in synapses, immunocytochemical and structural studies on synaptic actin have resulted in conflicting data, and the presence and precise localization of filamentous actin (F-actin) in the synapses have still not been well clarified. We recently described a phalloidin-based antifluorescein isothiocyanate system, which has been successfully developed for ultrastructural investigations of F-actin in the ependymal microvilli. By this technique, the present study has demonstrated the presence of F-actin in both the pre- and the postsynaptic regions in the synapses of spinal motoneurons. In the presynaptic terminal, F-actin was localized predominantly in the active zones and the adjacent synaptic vesicle clusters, including the vesicles docked at the active zones and a population of recycling vesicles. By contrast, the proximally located vesicle pool was much less intensely stained. In the postsynaptic region, F-actin was concentrated at the postsynaptic densities and stretched some way into the surrounding cytoplasm. Insofar as the axonal terminals analyzed in this study touched on either the cell body or the dendritic shaft, where the postsynaptic regions did not form spine-like specializations, our results cannot shed any light on the distribution of F-actin within spines. However, the present study has provided a hitherto unreported ultrastructural view of the subcellular distribution of F-actin in the synapse, which is thought to be helpful for understanding the roles of the synaptic actin cytoskeleton.

Background: Acupuncture has shown to be effective in relieving post-surgical pain. Nonetheless, its underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of GABA, GABA-A receptor (R) and GABA-BR in the spinal cord dorsal horns (DHs), and the involved neural cells in rats with incisional neck pain. Materials and Methods: Male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model, Futu (LI18), Hegu-Neiguan (LI4-PC6), and Zusanli-Yanglingquan (ST36-GB34) groups. The incisional neck pain model was established by making a longitudinal incision and repeated mechanical separation along the thyroid gland region. EA (2Hz/100Hz, 1mA) was applied to LI18, LI4-PC6, ST36-GB34 separately for 30min, once at 4, 24 and 48h after incision. The local thermal pain threshold (TPT) of the focus was measured and the expression of GABA, and GABAR proteins and mRNAs detected by immunofluorescence stain and quantitative RT-PCR, respectively. Results: The analgesic effect of LI18 and LI4-PC6 was superior to that of ST36-GB34 in incisional neck pain rats. Moreover, the EA stimulation of LI18 or LI4-PC6 increased the expression of GABA and GABA-Aα2 and GABA-Aβ3, GABA-B1, and GABA-B2 mRNAs in spinal DHs 4h after surgery, while GABA-A and GABA-B antagonists inhibited the analgesic effect of LI18. Immunofluorescence double staining showed that GABA was expressed on astrocytes and neurons, and GABA-B expressed only on neurons. Conclusion: EA of both LI18 and LI4-PC6 has a good analgesic effect in incisional neck pain rats, which is closely related to their effects in upregulating the expression of GABA and its receptors in spinal DHs. The effects of LI18 and LI4-PC6 EA are obviously better that those of ST36-GB34 EA, and GABA is expressed on neurons and astrocytes.