Background: Metabolic syndrome has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and neurodegenerative disorders. Known side-effects of currently- available drugs necessitate the search for possibly better treatment options.

Objective: This study examined the effects of dietary lepidium meyenii (MACA) supplementation on neurobehaviour, metabolic profile, levels of inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress parameters in a mouse model of metabolic syndrome.

Methods: Mice were randomly assigned into 8 groups of ten animals each. Groups consist of standard diet (SD) control, high fat/high sugar (HFHS) control and three groups each of lepidium meyenii incorporated into either SD or HFHS diet at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4%. Mice were fed for seven weeks, and body weight was measured weekly. Open-field behaviors and radial-arm/Y-maze spatial memory were scored at the end of the study. Twenty-four hours after the last behavioral test, fasting blood glucose levels were estimated. Animals were then euthanized, and blood was drawn for estimation of serum lipid profile. Whole brains were excised, weighed and homogenized to estimate the levels of lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, antioxidant status, and acetylcholinesterase activity.

Results: MACA-supplemented diet was associated with a decrease in body weight gain, an increase in food intake (at lower concentrations), suppression of grooming behavior, and decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity. MACA-supplement also reversed HFHS-induced memory impairment, anxiety, hyperglycaemia, lipid derangement, oxidative stress, and derangement of inflammatory markers.

Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with MACA shows beneficial effects in mitigating the effects of metabolic syndrome on the brain in mice.

背景：代谢综合征与心血管疾病、糖尿病和神经退行性疾病的风险增加有关。当前可用药物的已知副作用需要寻找可能更好的治疗方案。

目的：本研究检查了膳食补充马齿苋 (MACA) 对代谢综合征小鼠模型的神经行为、代谢特征、炎症标志物水平和氧化应激参数的影响。

方法：将小鼠随机分为 8 组，每组 10 只。各组包括标准饮食 (SD) 对照组、高脂肪/高糖 (HFHS) 对照组和三组，每组均以 0.1、0.2 和 0.4% 的比例加入 SD 或 HFHS 饮食中。小鼠喂养七周，每周测量体重。在研究结束时对开放场行为和径向臂/Y 迷宫空间记忆进行评分。在最后一次行为测试后 24 小时，估计空腹血糖水平。然后对动物实施安乐死，抽血以估计血清脂质谱。切除全脑，称重并匀浆，以评估脂质过氧化水平、炎症标志物、抗氧化状态和乙酰胆碱酯酶活性。

结果：补充 MACA 的饮食与体重增加的减少、食物摄入量的增加（在较低浓度下）、梳理行为的抑制和乙酰胆碱酯酶活性的降低有关。MACA 补充剂还逆转了 HFHS 引起的记忆障碍、焦虑、高血糖、脂质紊乱、氧化应激和炎症标志物的紊乱。

结论：膳食补充剂 MACA 在减轻代谢综合征对小鼠大脑的影响方面显示出有益的作用。