AUTHOR=Wu Han-Ming , Yang Yang Vivian , Huang Na-Jun , Fan Li-Ping , Dai Ying-Ying , Hu Ke-Ting , Tang Tian-Yu , Liu Lin , Xu Yue , Liu Dong-Tai , Cai Ze-Xin , Niu Xiao-Yu , Ren Xin-Yi , Yao Zheng-Hao , Qin Hao-Yu , Chen Jian-Zhen , Huang Xi , Zhang Cixiong , You Xiang , Wang Chen , He Ying , Hong Wei , Sun Yu-Xia , Zhan Yi-Hong , Lin Shu-Yong TITLE=Probucol mitigates high-fat diet-induced cognitive and social impairments by regulating brain redox and insulin resistance JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience VOLUME=18 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1368552 DOI=10.3389/fnins.2024.1368552 ISSN=1662-453X ABSTRACT=

Probucol has been utilized as a cholesterol-lowering drug with antioxidative properties. However, the impact and fundamental mechanisms of probucol in obesity-related cognitive decline are unclear. In this study, male C57BL/6J mice were allocated to a normal chow diet (NCD) group or a high-fat diet (HFD) group, followed by administration of probucol to half of the mice on the HFD regimen. Subsequently, the mice were subjected to a series of behavioral assessments, alongside the measurement of metabolic and redox parameters. Notably, probucol treatment effectively alleviates cognitive and social impairments induced by HFD in mice, while exhibiting no discernible influence on mood-related behaviors. Notably, the beneficial effects of probucol arise independently of rectifying obesity or restoring systemic glucose and lipid homeostasis, as evidenced by the lack of changes in body weight, serum cholesterol levels, blood glucose, hyperinsulinemia, systemic insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. Instead, probucol could regulate the levels of nitric oxide and superoxide-generating proteins, and it could specifically alleviate HFD-induced hippocampal insulin resistance. These findings shed light on the potential role of probucol in modulating obesity-related cognitive decline and urge reevaluation of the underlying mechanisms by which probucol exerts its beneficial effects.