Tier 3 — preclinical

Betaine prevents cognitive dysfunction by suppressing hippocampal microglial activation in chronic social isolated male mice

Meng Meng Shi, Xiao Fan Xu, Qiu Min Sun, Mingying Luo, Dan Dan Liu, Dong Min Guo, Ling Chen, Xiao Lin Zhong, Yang Xu, Wen Yu Cao
Phytotherapy research : PTR 2023 37(10):4755-4770

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 37846157
DOI
10.1002/ptr.7944
Funding
Indexed grant support: 19B756 — Hunan Provincial Education Department Foundation of China; 31701045 — National Natural Science Foundation of China; 81860253 — National Natural Science Foundation of China; 202101AY070001-042 — Project of Yunnan Applied Basic Research-Kunming Medical University Union Foundation. The indexed list may not contain the complete funding declaration.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignExperimental animal and/or laboratory research
ModelSocially isolated male mice
SampleExperiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods
InterventionBetaine treatment during an isolation-stress model
Duration8-week housing model with treatment introduced late in the protocol
EndpointsMouse cognition; Microglia; Stress behavior

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2023, this source examined preclinical aging, brain and metabolic mechanisms. Design: Experimental animal and/or laboratory research. Sample/model: Experiment-specific biological replicates and model groups; see original methods. The exposure or intervention was Betaine treatment during an isolation-stress model. Follow-up or treatment period: 8-week housing model with treatment introduced late in the protocol.

Cognitive behavior and microglial measures improved, but depression-like behavior did not clearly improve.

Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.

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Key findings

  • Cognitive behavior and microglial measures improved, but depression-like behavior did not clearly improve.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Mouse cognition; Microglia; Stress behavior.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine treatment during an isolation-stress model; 8-week housing model with treatment introduced late in the protocol.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Experimental model evidence. The intervention, concentrations and outcomes do not establish an effective human supplement dose or a clinical treatment benefit.
  • Cell concentrations, species, disease models and experimental routes cannot be converted directly into an effective or safe oral human regimen.
  • Source basis: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology