Cisplatin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with impaired cognitive function in rats

Abstract

Purpose Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is commonly reported following the administration of chemotherapeutic agents and comprises a wide variety of neurological problems. No effective treatments for CRCI are currently available. Here we examined the mechanisms involving cisplatin-induced hippocampal damage following cisplatin administration in a rat model and in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). We also assessed the protective effects of the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine in mitigating these damages. Experimental design Adult male rats received 6 mg/kg cisplatin in the acute studies. In chronic studies, rats received 5 mg/kg cisplatin or saline injections once per week for 4 weeks. N-acetylcysteine (250 mg/kg/day) or saline was administered for five consecutive days during cisplatin treatment. Cognitive testing was performed 5 weeks after treatment cessation. Cisplatin-treated cultured hippocampal neurons and NSCs were examined for changes in mitochondrial function, oxidative stress production, caspase-9 activation, and neuronal dendritic spine density. Results Acute cisplatin treatment reduced dendritic branching and spine density, and induced mitochondrial degradation. Rats receiving the chronic cisplatin regimen showed impaired performance in contextual fear conditioning, context object discrimination, and novel object recognition tasks compared to controls. Cisplatin induced mitochondrial DNA damage, impaired respiratory activity, increased oxidative stress, and activated caspase-9 in cultured hippocampal neurons and NSCs. N-acetylcysteine treatment prevented free radical production, ameliorated apoptotic cellular death and dendritic spine loss, and partially reversed the cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments. Conclusions Our results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress are involved in cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments. Therapeutic agents, such as N-acetylcysteine, may be effective in mitigating the deleterious effects of cisplatin.

Cognitive impairment in hodgkin lymphoma survivors

“…It is widely assumed that conventional chemotherapies do not cross the brain blood barrier (BBB). However, recent data reveal that agents such as doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and cisplatin, do, in fact, cross the BBB, and thus may have effects on the decreased mitochondrial function, increase the oxidative stress and lead to morphological changes in the brain and consequently to neurophysiological dysfunction (Ahles & Saykin, ; Kitamura et al , ; Lomeli et al , ). Our findings revealed that HLS who received fewer chemotherapy cycles had better neurocognitive performance and were consistent with previously published data (Baudino et al , ), supporting these hypotheses.…”

N-Acetylcysteine Protects against the Anxiogenic Response to Cisplatin in Rats

“…These adverse effects include neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity, myelosuppression, gastrointestinal toxicity, and cardiotoxicity. Common neurological adverse effects are cognitive deficits, disorientation, visual perception, and hearing disorders [6].…”

Effects of thioTEPA chemotherapy on cognition and motor coordination

“…However, cognitive decline after chemotherapy is not specific to thioTEPA. Many different chemotherapy drugs are associated with cognitive decline (Moore, )—doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu) are all associated with cognitive dysfunction (Kitamura et al, ; Lomeli, Di, Czerniawski, Guzowski, & Bota, ; Lyons, ElBeltagy, Bennett, & Wigmore, ). Previously, we showed that 5‐Fu decreases dendritic arborization in the mouse hippocampus (Groves et al, ).…”