Affiliation:
1. Department of Health and Sports Science
2. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare , Kurashiki, Okayama , Japan
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Fatigue is accompanied by a decrease in physical activity or malaise, and might be reduced by acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) administration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of ALC on Poly I:C-induced sickness behavior in mice. For the experiment, male C3H/HeN mice were used and treated with ALC for 5 days before Poly I:C administration. ALC administration attenuated the decrease in wheel behavior activity of mice at 24 h after Poly I:C administration and ALC-treated mice quickly recovered from the sickness behavior. The gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the cerebrum and hippocampus, which is associated with physical activity, was higher in the ALC-treated group. Translocator protein 18kDa (TSPO), which has cytoprotective effects, was up-regulated in the cerebrum and hippocampus, suggesting that ALC suppressed the decrease in activity induced by Poly I:C treatment through enhancement of cytoprotective effects in the brain.
Funder
Interdepartmental Research Fund of Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare
Wesco Scientific Promotion Foundation
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Organic Chemistry,Molecular Biology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,General Medicine,Biochemistry,Analytical Chemistry,Biotechnology