Vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol promotes cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus of mice via the increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin-related kinase B

Cho,Jeong‑Hwi; Park,Joon  Ha; Ahn,Ji  Hyeon; Lee,Jae‑Chul; Hwang,In  Koo; Park,Seung  Min; Ahn,Ji  Yun; Kim,Dong  Won; Cho,Jun  Hwi; Kim,Jong‑Dai; Kim,Young-Myeong; Won,Moo‑Ho; Kang,Il-Jun

doi:10.3892/mmr.2016.4915

Vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol promotes cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus of mice via the increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin-related kinase B

Authors:
- Jeong‑Hwi Cho
- Joon Ha Park
- Ji Hyeon Ahn
- Jae‑Chul Lee
- In Koo Hwang
- Seung Min Park
- Ji Yun Ahn
- Dong Won Kim
- Jun Hwi Cho
- Jong‑Dai Kim
- Young-Myeong Kim
- Moo‑Ho Won
- Il-Jun Kang
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Affiliations: Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200‑701, Republic of Korea, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151‑742, Republic of Korea, Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200‑701, Republic of Korea, Division of Food Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200‑701, Republic of Korea, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200‑701, Republic of Korea, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Gangwon 200‑702, Republic of Korea
Published online on: February 19, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2016.4915
Pages: 2949-2956
Copyright: © Cho et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

4-Hydroxy‑3-methoxybenzaldehyde (vanillin) and 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (4-HBA) are well‑known phenolic compounds, which possess various therapeutic properties and are widely found in a variety of plants. In the present study, the effects of vanillin and 4‑HBA were first investigated on cell proliferation, as well as neuronal differentiation and integration of granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) of adolescent mice using Ki‑67, doublecortin (DCX) immunohistochemistry and 5‑bromo‑2'‑deoxyuridine (BrdU)/feminizing Locus on X 3 (NeuN) double immunofluorescence. In both the vanillin and 4‑HBA groups, the number of Ki‑67+ cells, DCX+ neuroblasts and BrdU+/NeuN+ neurons were significantly increased in the subgranular zone of the DG, as compared with the vehicle group. In addition, the levels of brain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tropomyosin‑related kinase B (TrkB), a BDNF receptor, were significantly increased in the DG in the vanillin and 4‑HBA groups compared with the vehicle group. These results indicated that vanillin and 4‑HBA enhanced cell proliferation, neuroblast differentiation and integration of granule cells in the DG of adolescent mice . These neurogenic effects of vanillin and 4‑HBA may be closely associated with increases in BDNF and TrkB.

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