“As apples are one of the most widely consumed fruits worldwide, resulting in a generalized exposure across cultures, we investigated whether they contain substances that sustain or promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis,” they said.
“We took a two-pronged approach, first studying quercetin, the most abundant flavonoid in apple peel, and second extending our investigation to identify additional pro-neurogenic factors in the fruit.”
The researchers found that laboratory-grown stem cells from adult
mouse brains generated more neurons and were protected from cell death when quercetin or DHBA were added to the cultures.Subsequent tests in mice showed that in distinct structures of the
adult brain associated with learning and memory, stem cells multiplied
and generated more neurons when the mice were given high doses of
quercetin or DHBA.
The effects on neurogenesis were comparable to effects seen after physical exercise, a known stimulus for neurogenesis." SciNews