Most cognitive effects of Organophosphate Pesticides (OP) are induced after exposure to parathion, chlorpyrifos and diazinon, which the usage has been restricted because of overt signs of their toxicities. In this study, we investigate whether developmental exposure to Malathion could impair spatial learning and recognition memory in male rats. Animals exposed by intragastric route, from in utero to young adult stage, to incremental doses of Malathion dissolved in corn oil; 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of body weight, and one control group are given corn oil. Then, cognitive and behaveioral abilities are assessed using Barnes maze and object recognition memory task. Malathion administration at 300 mg/kg is toxic to pregnant dams, and pups are stillborns. Rats exposed to 200 mg/kg make a significant working memory error, and require more time to find an escape box during the initial training phase of Barnes maze. However, fewer errors are made in rats exposed to 100 mg/kg. For reversal learning task, the high dose group shows great deficits in spatial strategy to locate the new position of the box. With respect to recognition task, both dose 100 and 200 mg/kg impair significant short-term (2 h after habituation phase) object recognition memory, but long-term (24 h after habituation phase) recognition memory show abstract
Developmental exposure to organophosphate insecticide is well known to induce neurobeha-vioral impairments, at late period. The present study aims to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to Malathion, from in utero to young adult stage, on locomotor skills and anxiety like- behavior among wistar rat. Four groups of female rats, bred with one non-pesticide exposed male, are used. On gestational day 6, three groups receive daily, by intragastric gavage, 3 different doses of Malathion dissolved in corn oil (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight). The control group receives the corn oil only. On postnatal day 21, weaned offsprings are submitted to the similar treatment until adult age. Spontaneous locomotor activity is evaluated using the Open-Field test (OF) and anxiety-like behavior is measured using both Open-Field (OF) test and Elevate Plus-Maze (EPM). Malathion at 300 mg/kg is toxic to pregnant dams, and pups are stillborns. In males, Malathionlevelat 100 and 200 mg/kg induced significant impairment of spontaneous locomotor activities, which is reflected by high decrease of number of squares crossed in OF. In contrast, no discernible changes are observed within females Malathion-treated-group. However, females exposed to both malathion levels develop further anxiety-like response, expressed by significant reductions of exploratory activities in OF and time spent in open arm of EPM. Neurochemistry assay shows that cerebellum and neocortex acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity inhibition are significantly increased with neurobehavioral deficits in males, relative to females. Overall, neurobehavioral outcomes of current study reveal that developmental exposure to Malathion induces sex-selective effects with greater changes in females.
Pesticides were economically important chemicals in agriculture. Their use has permitted agricultural progress, through the eradication of harmful insect and the fight against vectors of disease. However, several studies question the beneficial effects of organophosphorus compounds, showing that their deregulated use causes various problems of environmental pollution and human health. The present study shows that chronic exposure to a subtoxic dose of dimethoate is likely to affect cognitive and behavioral functions of rats (both males and females). Our results show that exposure to dimethoate affects both short and long-term memory capacities. The short-term memory results are more pronounced. Treatment with nettle extract allowed a significant improvement in cognitive and behavioral performance of the rats after their exposure to dimethoate.
Objective Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a threatening disease for African populations in the upcoming years because of the increase in their expectancy of life. Here, we investigated whether natural products from Chrysophyllum perpulchrum as catechin and two dimeric procyanidins (catechin + hexose) could prevent progression of oxidative stress and cognitive changes using an AD-like rat model induced by Aβ1-40 injection into the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Methodology Adult male Wistar rats were either microinjected with 1% ammonia as a vehicle (10 µL) or aggregated Aβ1-40 at 10 µg bilateral hippocampus. On the 14th day of post-surgery, some Aβ rats were treated with melatonin (10 mg/kg i.p.) or with the Chrysophyllum perpulchrum extract (300 mg/kg p.o.), and some sham-operated rats received the extract alone. Cognitive abilities were tested with Y-maze, object recognition test and Morris Water Maze. Oxidative stress markers as well as the level of activated microglial cells were assayed in the brain. Results Aβ rats exhibited significant deficits of recognition memory and spatial learning. This was associated with an increase of microglia Iba 1 immunoreactivity as well as nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase levels but not to the thiol content in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and septum of AD-like rats. The Chrysophyllum perpulchrum extract treatment mitigated Aβ-induced cognitive impairments and reversed microglia overactivation and subsequent generation of oxidative stress markers. Interestingly, the neuroprotective actions of the Chrysophyllum perpulchrum extract seem to be comparable to the control drug melatonin used albeit with some more beneficial effects. Conclusion These findings are preliminary and should be strengthened by more pharmacological studies of bioactive compounds of Chrysophyllum perpulchrum before being proposed as a promising drug against AD.
Free Fatty acid is an end-product of hepatic metabolism of fructose. Most of past studies have demonstrated significant relationship between gestational high fat diet and metabolic and physiology outcomes in offspring. However, there is a scarce of data extended to the effects of high fructose diet-fed dams on juveniles' progeny. Therefore, the present experiment was designed to examine the later effects of maternal high fructose diet intake during pregnancy and lactation on juvenile offspring rats emotional behaviors and memory abilities. We tested whether methyl donors supplemented to that high fructose diet could reverse the adverse effects. We found at two months of age, anxiety-like behavior and depression-like behavior were elevated in off springs of mother fed to high fructose diet and a sex difference effect with males were more affected than females. In addition, behavioral outcomes indicated that the high fructose diet also impaired spatial working and recognition memories in the Y-maze and object recognition test respectively. Blood glucose intolerance increased significantly in juvenile males rats of dams fed with high fructose diet when compared to females. However, a supplementation of the maternal diet with methyl donors attenuated all these changes. Our study suggested a controlled fructose diet supplemented to methyl donors during critical period of brain developing (in utero and pre-weaning stage), otherwise that could induced irreversible detrimental effects on offspring behavior and cognitive health.
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