Abstract:The effect of Gongcheng oil tea (Camellia oleifera) on cognitive impairment in D-galactose-induced aging mice was investigated in this study. KM mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal group, aging model group, Vc intervention group (100 mg/kg), and C. oleifera intervention group (750 mg/kg). The Morris water maze test was used to analyze the learning and memory abilities of the mice, and their hippocampus and brain indices were determined. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), as well as the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the hippocampus, brain, and intestinal tissues of mice were determined through colorimetric analysis. Samples of hippocampus and brain tissue were extracted to prepare slices for the observation of pathological changes. The results showed that the hippocampus (35.56%) and brain indices (42.16%) in C. oleifera intervention group were significantly higher than those in the aging model group. Pre-treatment with C. oleifera significantly increased the proportion of swimming time and swimming distance in the platform quadrant (20.44% and 16.10%, respectively) (P<0.05), increased the activities of GSH-Px (37.95%), T-SOD (86.83%), and T-AOC (199.22%), and decreased MDA content (65.66%) in the hippocampus (P<0.05). The activity of GSH-Px (331.49%) and T-SOD (177.16%) in the brain tissues of the C. oleifera intervention group were higher than that in the aging model group (P<0.05). Analysis of the slices showed that C. oleifera could also relieve brain damage during aging. Thus, this study showed that C. oleifera can improve cognitive impairment caused by D-galactose, which may be associated with the attenuation of oxidative stress.
