In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of lycopene (Lyc) on vascular dementia (VaD) gerbils and its related mechanisms of anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant activity. Gerbils were treated with bilateral common carotid arteries. Animals were divided into 1) Sham, 2) VaD model, and 3) VaD model + Lyc (20 mg/kg) groups. Each group (3) was administered intergalactic Lyc twice a day for 28 days. Morris water mazes were used to evaluate learning and memory ability. Nissl, NeuN, and GFAP staining were used to observe histomorphological changes of neural and glial cells in the hippocampus CA1 region. Western blotting was used to detect hippocampus caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 related × protein (Bax), and interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor a (TNF-a) expression amongst other inflammatory factors. Secreted IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-a levels were assessed by ELISA in addition to superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA).

We found that Lyc increased the learning and memory ability of gerbils by reducing the latency time in the Morris water maze, and increasing spatial memory. Lyc also reduced pathological changes in the hippocampus caused by VaD, reduced apoptosis, and decreased VaD mediated Bcl-2/Bax expression. The levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress were also reduced by Lyc in the VaD models.

We therefore conclude that Lyc can improve the learning and memory ability of VaD gerbils, the mechanism of which may be related to reduced oxidative stress and apoptosis in VaD hippocampus neurons.

中文翻译：

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番茄红素补充剂可保护血管性痴呆沙鼠免受学习和记忆力的损害

在这项研究中，我们研究了番茄红素 (Lyc) 对血管性痴呆 (VaD) 沙鼠的神经保护作用及其抗炎、抗凋亡和抗氧化活性的相关机制。沙鼠用双侧颈总动脉治疗。将动物分为 1) Sham、2) VaD 模型和 3) VaD 模型 + Lyc (20 mg/kg) 组。每组 (3) 每天两次给予星际 Lyc，持续 28 天。莫里斯水迷宫用于评估学习和记忆能力。Nissl、NeuN和GFAP染色用于观察海马CA1区神经和胶质细胞的组织形态学变化。Western印迹用于检测海马caspase-3、B细胞淋巴瘤2（Bcl-2）、Bcl-2相关×蛋白（Bax）和白细胞介素（IL）-1，除其他炎症因子外，IL-6 和肿瘤坏死因子 a (TNF-a) 的表达。除了超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-PX）、谷胱甘肽（GSH）和丙二醛（MDA）外，还通过ELISA评估分泌的IL-1、IL-6和TNF-α水平。

我们发现 Lyc 通过减少 Morris 水迷宫中的潜伏时间和增加空间记忆来提高沙鼠的学习和记忆能力。Lyc 还减少了由 VaD 引起的海马病理变化，减少了细胞凋亡，并降低了 VaD 介导的 Bcl-2/Bax 表达。在 VaD 模型中，Lyc 也降低了炎症因子和氧化应激的水平。

因此，我们得出结论，Lyc可以提高VaD沙鼠的学习和记忆能力，其机制可能与降低VaD海马神经元的氧化应激和细胞凋亡有关。