Probiotic Mixture KF Attenuates Age-Dependent Memory Deficit and Lipidemia in Fischer 344 Rats

To investigate the memory-enhancing effect of lactic acid bacteria, we selected the probiotic mixture KF, which consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum KY1032 and Lactobacillus curvatus HY7601 (1 x 10(11) CFU/g of each strain), and investigated its antilipidemic and memory-enhancing effects in aged Fischer 344 rats. KF (1 x 10(10) CFU/rat/day), which was administered orally once a day (6 days per week) for 8 weeks, significantly inhibited age-dependent increases of blood triglyceride and reductions of HDL cholesterol (p < 0.05). KF restored age-reduced spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze task to 94.4% of that seen in young rats (p < 0.05). KF treatment slightly, but not significantly, shortened the escape latency daily for 4 days. Oral administration of KF restored age-suppressed doublecortin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in aged rats. Orally administered KF suppressed the expression of p16, p53, and cyclooxygenase-2, the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR, and the activation of NF-kappa B in the hippocampus of the brain. These findings suggest that KF may ameliorate age-dependent memory deficit and lipidemia by inhibiting NF-kappa B activation.