Background: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main food source for more than half of humankind. Rice is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants with several biological activities; among these compounds, the presence of γ-oryzanol is noteworthy. The present study aims to explore the effects of γ-oryzanol on cognitive performance in a mouse model of neuroinflammation and cognitive alterations. Methods: Mice received 100 mg/kg γ-oryzanol (ORY) or vehicle once daily for 21 consecutive days and were then exposed to an inflammatory stimulus elicited by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A novel object recognition test and mRNA expression of antioxidant and neuroinflammatory markers in the hippocampus were evaluated. Results: ORY treatment was able to improve cognitive performance during the neuroinflammatory response. Furthermore, phase II antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NADPH-dehydrogenase-quinone-1 (NQO1) were upregulated in the hippocampi of ORY and ORY+LPS mice. Lastly, γ-oryzanol showed a strong anti-inflammatory action by downregulating inflammatory genes after LPS treatment. Conclusion: These results suggest that chronic consumption of γ-oryzanol can revert the LPS-induced cognitive and memory impairments by promoting hippocampal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecular responses.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the richest source of γ-oryzanol, a compound endowed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. γ-Oryzanol has been demonstrated to cross the blood-brain barrier in intact form and exert beneficial effects on brain function. This study aimed to clarify the effects of γ-oryzanol in the hippocampus in terms of cognitive function and protein expression. Adult mice were administered with γ-oryzanol 100 mg/kg or vehicle (control) once a day for 21 consecutive days following which cognitive behavior and hippocampal proteome were investigated. Cognitive tests using novel object recognition and Y-maze showed that long-term consumption of γ-oryzanol improves cognitive function in mice. To investigate the hippocampal proteome modulated by γ-oryzanol, 2D-difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) was performed. Interestingly, we found that γ-oryzanol modulates quantitative changes of proteins involved in synaptic plasticity and neuronal trafficking, neuroprotection and antioxidant activity, and mitochondria and energy metabolism. These findings suggested γ-oryzanol as a natural compound able to maintain and reinforce brain function. Although more intensive studies are needed, we propose γ-oryzanol as a putative dietary phytochemical for preserving brain reserve, the ability to tolerate age-related changes, thereby preventing clinical symptoms or signs of neurodegenerative diseases.

Measurement systems for early and reliable detection of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are extremely important in clinical diagnosis. Among these, biochemical assays represent a commonly used method to distinguish patients from healthy population thanks to the sensitive recognition of specific biomarkers in biological fluids. In order to overcome actual limitations of these techniques in term of cost, standardization, and sensitivity, this study aimed to realize a low-cost highly sensitive portable point-of-care (PoC) testing system based on screen-printed electrochemical sensors. The development of the platform specifically included both the design of the sensing probe and the electronic circuit devoted to condition and acquires the transduced electric signal. The designed circuit was implemented in a printed circuit board and interfaced to a wireless system based on bluetooth data transmission in order to improve the portability of the proposed solution. Preliminary results were obtained by using controlled concentrations of electrolytic solutions and calibrating the sensors for antibodies and for a well-known protein (i.e., interleukin 8) quantified by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Findings from ASV measurements showed a sensitivity of $38~\mu \text{A}$ /(ng/ml) with a tested range from 1.25 to 20 ng/ml, with a limit of detection of 2 ng/ml. Further investigation will include the validation of this PoC device by testing the concentration of a specific p53 protein isoform, which was recently identified to early correlate to AD development.