# Nobiletin (NOB) nanoparticles ameliorate chronic paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD)-induced cognitive deficits in rats

**Authors:** Yujie Hu, Dan Hou, Shuling Wang, Nianzhen Wang, Qiang Wang, Congcong Zhang, Junling Chen, Xiaohui Su, Guoshuai Yang

PMC · DOI: 10.1038/s41420-025-02738-9 · 2025-10-13

## TL;DR

Nobiletin nanoparticles improve cognitive issues in rats caused by chronic sleep deprivation by reducing inflammation and shifting immune cell behavior.

## Contribution

This study reveals a novel therapeutic mechanism involving the BMAL1/SIRT1/E2F1 axis for treating cognitive deficits from sleep deprivation.

## Key findings

- NOB nanoparticles improved cognitive performance in sleep-deprived rats.
- NOB shifted microglia from pro-inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.
- The BMAL1/SIRT1/E2F1 axis is central to the mechanism of NOB's effects.

## Abstract

Nobiletin (NOB), a naturally occurring polymethoxyflavonoid, has been shown to regulate the expression of the clock gene BMAL1. This study aims to explore the impact of NOB nanoparticles on microglial polarization and cognitive impairments resulting from chronic sleep paradoxical deprivation (PSD), as well as the mechanisms involved. Following PSD modeling, rats treated with NOB nanoparticles exhibited significantly improved cognitive performance in behavioral tests. The treatment upregulated the expression of BMAL1, SIRT1, E2F1, and the NAD+/NADH ratio, shifted microglial polarization from the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, and enhanced antioxidant defenses. The NAD+ inhibitor apocynin and silencing of BMAL1 could reverse the effects of NOB nanoparticles. Overexpression of BMAL1 had similar effects to NOB nanoparticles in LPS-induced cellular models, while silencing of SIRT1 or E2F1 reversed the effects. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments illustrated the binding of SIRT1 and BMAL1 and SIRT1 and E2F1. NOB nanoparticles alleviate chronic PSD-induced microglia M1 polarisation, inflammation, and cognitive deficits in rats by a mechanism that may be related to the BMAL1/SIRT1/E2F1 axis, providing a new direction for the therapeutic approach of chronic PSD-associated cognitive deficits.

NOB nanoparticles alleviate chronic PSD-induced microglia M1 polarisation, inflammation, and cognitive deficits in rats by a mechanism that may be related to the BMAL1/SIRT1/E2F1 axis.

NOB nanoparticles alleviate chronic PSD-induced microglia M1 polarisation, inflammation, and cognitive deficits in rats by a mechanism that may be related to the BMAL1/SIRT1/E2F1 axis.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** BMAL1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1) [NCBI Gene 406], SIRT1 (sirtuin 1) [NCBI Gene 23411], E2F1 (E2F transcription factor 1) [NCBI Gene 1869]
- **Chemicals:** Nobiletin (PubChem CID 72344), apocynin (PubChem CID 2214)
- **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (taxon 10116)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Bmal1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1) [NCBI Gene 29657] {aka Arntl}, E2f1 (E2F transcription factor 1) [NCBI Gene 399489], Sirt1 (sirtuin 1) [NCBI Gene 309757] {aka Sir2}
- **Diseases:** PSD (MESH:D012892), cognitive deficits (MESH:D003072), inflammation (MESH:D007249)
- **Chemicals:** LPS (MESH:D008070), NAD+ (MESH:D009243), NOB (MESH:C008661), apocynin (MESH:C056165), polymethoxyflavonoid (-)
- **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116]

## Figures

8 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12518861/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12518861