Tempereversed effects of ovariectomy on brain function in rats: Effects of age and type of soy product

Backgroud: The aims of this study were to analyze the differences in nutrient content and isoflavones in tempe flour and tofu flour, and to analyze the effect of tempe and tofu flour on cognitive function of female rats after ovariectomy.

Method: Seventy two (72) white female Sprague Dawley strain rats, aged 12 months were used for this study. Before the intervention 52 rats underwent ovariectomy (OVx) and they were grouped into 4 intervention groups: tempe flour (Tp), tofu flour (Tf), estradiol (E2), and casein as a control protein (Cs). The remaining 20 rats were classed as controls and had no ovariectomy (NO). Cognitive function was measured using a maze test. Oneway ANOVA with polynomial contrasts and post hoc LSD were used with a p-value<0.05 to indicate significance.

Results: The content of nutrients (vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid) and isoflavones (genistein) were all higher in tempe flour higher than in tofu flour. After 8 weeks, the Tp group had showed significantly increased cognitive function (P<0.05), while the Tf group, the E2 group and the Cs group also all had increased performance, but not significantly so (P>0.05). There was no change in scores in the NO group.

Conclusions: Intervention by tempe flour can increase cognitive function in female ovariectomized female rats. Further research should focus onother aspects of cognitive function and the content of amyloid plaques and neurotransmitter synthesis in the brain.