People often experience cognitive deterioration of various degrees, from early-stage
mild cognitive impairment to severe
cognitive decline. Cognitive deterioration is related to many diseases and studied to alleviated
inflammation reaction or oxidative stress. In the present study, the levels of various memory-related
proteins:
brain-derived neurotrophic factor (
BDNF),
amyloid beta (Aβ) 42, Aβ40,
interleukin-6 and
tumor necrosis factor-alpha were measured. Among Lactobacillus paracasei HP7 (HP7), Portulaca oleracea Linn. (PO) and HP7 together with PO (HP7A), the HP7A group had the best effect on increasing
BDNF expression and suppressing Aβ40 expression. Also, we measured the protective effect on
scopolamine-induced
cognitive decline in mice. In the acquisition test, the HP7A group most reliably relieved
cognitive decline from days 2 to 5 of
scopolamine injection. When the probe test was performed on the day 6 of
scopolamine injection, the HP7A group had the shortest escape latency. Based on the results of the Morris water maze tasks, we suggest that HP7A is most useful for ameliorating
cognitive decline. It is suggested that the HP7A ameliorating
scopolamine-induced
cognitive decline via the increase of
BDNF expression and the suppression of Aβ40 expression.