Vitamin E attenuates alterations in learning, memory and BDNF levels caused by perinatal ethanol exposure

The impact of electronic cigarette aerosol exposure on spatial memory formation: Modulation by orally administered vitamin E

The use of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) has grown exponentially among young adolescents. Tobacco smoking, in general and ECIG use in particular, has been linked to disruption of the oxidative system, resulting in organ damage. The current investigation intends to evaluate if orally administered Vitamin E (VitE) can protect from learning and cognitive impairment induced by ECIG aerosol exposure in a rat model. This effect was determined by studying behavioral and molecular targets for potential learning and memory impairment. Adult Wistar rats were assigned to the following groups (N= 12/group): Control, ECIG, VitE, and VitE+ECIG. The animals in the groups ECIG and VitE+ECIG were exposed to ECIG aerosol (1 hr/day, 6 days/week) for four weeks. The control group and VitE group were exposed to fresh air. At the same time, the VitE group and VitE+ECIG group were given Vitamin E 100 mg/kg/ day via gavage for the same period as the exposure. The control group and ECIG group were given the vehicle via gavage. Behavioral assessment was performed using the Radial Arm Water Maze. In addition, molecular measures (BDNF, SOD, GPx, GSH, and GSSG), were measured in rats' hippocampal tissues. The results showed that VitE prevented ECIG aerosol exposure-induced impairment of spatial short-term and long-term memory formation (p<0.05), decreased BDNF, and activities/levels of GPx, SOD, and GSH (p<0.05). Moreover, VitE protected against GSSG levels increases (p<0.05) associated with ECIG aerosol exposure. In summary, exposure to ECIGs resulted in spatial memory impairments, which could be mitigated by orally administered vitamin E.

The effect of vitamin E on ethanol-induced liver damage in rats

Ethanol can have harmful effects on the development of the embryos. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin E, as an antioxidant, on changes in liver tissue damaged by ethanol in rats. Rats were divided into 11 groups, control, naive, sunflower oil (oil), ethanol, vitamin E (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg), ethanol + vitamin E (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg), and oily ethanol. In the experimental groups, rats received ethanol (v/v 40%) and vitamin E (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) orally once a day from gestational day 0 to 28 days after delivery. Then, we evaluated the weight of rats and their offspring, the number of offspring, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), as an index of lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as antioxidant enzymes, in the liver tissue of the offspring. Vitamin E significantly increases in weight of pregnant mothers and their offspring on the 21st day of pregnancy. The level of MDA in the groups receiving vitamin E was significantly reduced compared to the ethanol group. The activity of GPx and SOD antioxidants enzymes was significantly increased in the offspring. Vitamin E could reduce ethanol-induced liver damage in male offspring by reducing oxidative stress.

Trolox and recombinant Irisin as a potential strategy to prevent neuronal damage induced by random positioning machine exposure in differentiated HT22 cells

Neuronal death could be responsible for the cognitive impairments found in astronauts exposed to spaceflight, highlighting the need to identify potential countermeasures to ensure neuronal health in microgravity conditions. Therefore, differentiated HT22 cells were exposed to simulated microgravity by random positioning machine (RPM) for 48 h, treating them with a single administration of Trolox, recombinant irisin (r-Irisin) or both. Particularly, we investigated cell viability by MTS assay, Trypan Blue staining and western blotting analysis for Akt and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), the intracellular increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescent probe and NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression, as well as the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a major neurotrophin responsible for neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Although both Trolox and r-Irisin manifested a protective effect on neuronal health, the combined treatment produced the best results, with significant improvement in all parameters examined. In conclusion, further studies are needed to evaluate the potential of such combination treatment in counteracting weightlessness-induced neuronal death, as well as to identify other potential strategies to safeguard the health of astronauts exposed to spaceflight.

Effect of vitamin E on doxorubicin and paclitaxel-induced memory impairments in male rats

PURPOSE

In addition to peripheral neuronal dysfunction, conventional chemotherapy can be associated with other neurological treatment-limiting adverse effects, including cognitive dysfunction, memory impairment, and anxiety, which are referred to as "chemobrain". This study aimed to investigate the effects of doxorubicin (DOX) and paclitaxel (PAC) on learning and memory in rats using radial arm water maze (RAWM) and investigated a potential beneficial effect of vitamin E (Vit. E).

METHODS

Adult male rats were injected with four doses of 2 mg/kg/week DOX, or 2 mg/kg PAC every other day intraperitoneally. Vit. E was co-administered with these drugs in other groups to study its antioxidative effects. Using the RAWM, each rat was assessed for learning and memory performance through two sets of six trials separated by a 5-min rest period evaluating both short- and long-term effects on memory.

RESULTS

There was no deficit in learning or long-term memory in both drug groups compared to control. However, rats in both drug groups made significantly more errors in all short-term memory trials. This effect was mitigated when Vit. E was co-administered with either drug. Moreover, PAC (but not DOX) induced hippocampal lipid peroxidation by increasing the levels of standard biomarker thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Interestingly, Vit. E prevented PAC-induced hippocampal oxidative stress. Furthermore, both DOX and PAC were correlated with reduction in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) expression levels in the hippocampus, which was overcome by the co-administration of Vit. E.

CONCLUSION

There is a potential role of Vit. E in alleviating short-term memory impairment in rats exposed to chemotherapy, possibly by reducing hippocampal oxidative stress and neurodegeneration.

Improving behavioral deficits induced by perinatal ethanol and stress exposure in adolescent male rat progeny via maternal melatonin treatment

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Early-life stressful situations and binge drinking have been thus far acknowledged as two burdensome conditions that potentially give rise to negative outcomes and then synergistically affect brain development. In this context, the hippocampus, with the greatest number of glucocorticoid receptors (GCRs) in the brain, is responsible for regulating negative responses to stress. Prolonged glucocorticoid (GC) exposure can accordingly cause oxidative stress (OS), leading to cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Against this background, melatonin, as a powerful antioxidant and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulator, was administered in this study to ameliorate cognitive impairments induced by perinatal ethanol and stress exposure in adolescent male rat progeny.

METHODS

Wistar rat dams were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg) and melatonin (10 mg/kg) from gestational day (GD) 6 to postnatal day (PND) 14 and then limited nesting material (LNS) from PND0 to PND14 individually or in combination. Maternal behavior was then investigated in mothers. Afterward, the plasma corticosterone (CORT) concentration, the OS marker, the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1) expression, and the GCR and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were measured in the male pups. Moreover, behavioral tasks, including the elevated plus maze (EPM), the Morris water maze (MWM), the novel object recognition (NORT), and the object-location memory (OLM) tests were completed and assessed.

RESULTS

The quantity and quality of maternal care significantly decreased in the mothers with dual exposure to ethanol and stress. The plasma CORT concentration in the progeny also dropped in the Ethanol + LNS group, but the risk-taking behavior elevated significantly. The ethanol and stress exposure further revealed a significant fall in the GCR and CRHR1 expression levels, compared with stress alone. The results of learning and memory tasks also indicated a significant reduction in spatial learning and memory among animals exposed to ethanol and stress. The BDNF mRNA levels correspondingly increased in the Ethanol + LNS group, compared with LNS alone. In the presence of ethanol and stress, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities correspondingly declined. On the other hand, the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels augmented in the hippocampus of the animals with ethanol and LNS dual exposure, as compared with the control group. Melatonin treatment (MT) thus improved nursing behaviors in dams, prevented OS, enhanced the CRHR1 and GCR expression, and reduced the BDNF levels to the similar ones in the control group. The animals in the Ethanol + LNS + MT group ultimately showed an ameliorated performance at behavioral tasks, including the memory and risk-taking behavior.

CONCLUSION

It was concluded that MT could prevent stress response and memory impairments arising from dual exposure to ethanol and stress by inhibiting OS.

Chronic Ethanol Consumption by Rats before Mating Affects Working Memory in the Offspring

Parameters of non-spatial and spatial memory were evaluated in sexually mature offspring of outbred rats (females and males F0) consuming a 10% ethanol solution for 30 weeks before mating. We found a significant increase in the recognition index in F1 males and its decrease in F1 females in the novel object recognition test. During the first days of the experiment in T-maze, a decrease in spatial memory was revealed in F1 males, which remained at the trend level until the end of testing; no significant deviations were detected in F1 females. Memory impairment in F1 females was accompanied by a decrease in BDNF level in the hippocampus, but not in the prefrontal cortex. Thus, ethanol consumption by F0 rats before mating led to impairment of long-term working memory only in female F1 offspring.

Microbiota and nutrition as risk and resiliency factors following prenatal alcohol exposure

Alcohol exposure in adulthood can result in inflammation, malnutrition, and altered gastroenteric microbiota, which may disrupt efficient nutrient extraction. Clinical and preclinical studies have documented convincingly that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) also results in persistent inflammation and nutrition deficiencies, though research on the impact of PAE on the enteric microbiota is in its infancy. Importantly, other neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, have been linked to gut microbiota dysbiosis. The combined evidence from alcohol exposure in adulthood and from other neurodevelopmental disorders supports the hypothesis that gut microbiota dysbiosis is likely an etiological feature that contributes to negative developmental, including neurodevelopmental, consequences of PAE and results in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Here, we highlight published data that support a role for gut microbiota in healthy development and explore the implication of these studies for the role of altered microbiota in the lifelong health consequences of PAE.

Prenatal alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol exposure: Effects on spatial and working memory

Introduction

Alcohol and cannabis are widely used recreational drugs that can negatively impact fetal development, leading to cognitive impairments. However, these drugs may be used simultaneously and the effects of combined exposure during the prenatal period are not well understood. Thus, this study used an animal model to investigate the effects of prenatal exposure to ethanol (EtOH), Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), or the combination on spatial and working memory.

Methods

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to vaporized ethanol (EtOH; 68 ml/h), THC (100 mg/ml), the combination, or vehicle control during gestational days 5-20. Adolescent male and female offspring were evaluated using the Morris water maze task to assess spatial and working memory.

Results

Prenatal THC exposure impaired spatial learning and memory in female offspring, whereas prenatal EtOH exposure impaired working memory. The combination of THC and EtOH did not exacerbate the effects of either EtOH or THC, although subjects exposed to the combination were less thigmotaxic, which might represent an increase in risk-taking behavior.

Discussion

Our results highlight the differential effects of prenatal exposure to THC and EtOH on cognitive and emotional development, with substance- and sex-specific patterns. These findings highlight the potential harm of THC and EtOH on fetal development and support public health policies aimed at reducing cannabis and alcohol use during pregnancy.

Nutritional Support for Alcoholic Liver Disease

Malnutrition is a common finding in alcohol use disorders and is associated with the prognosis of patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD). These patients also frequently show deficiencies in vitamins and trace elements, increasing the likelihood of anemia and altered cognitive status. The etiology of malnutrition in ALD patients is multifactorial and complex and includes inadequate dietary intake, abnormal absorption and digestion, increased skeletal and visceral protein catabolism, and abnormal interactions between ethanol and lipid metabolism. Most nutritional measures derive from general chronic liver disease recommendations. Recently, many patients with ALD have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which requires individualized treatment via nutritional therapy to avoid overnutrition. As ALD progresses to cirrhosis, it is frequently complicated by protein–energy malnutrition and sarcopenia. Nutritional therapy is also important in the management of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy as liver failure progresses. The purpose of the review is to summarize important nutritional therapies for the treatment of ALD.

Pesticides as a risk factor for cognitive impairment: Natural substances are expected to become alternative measures to prevent and improve cognitive impairment

Pesticides are the most effective way to control diseases, insects, weeds, and fungi. The central nervous system (CNS) is damaged by pesticide residues in various ways. By consulting relevant databases, the systemic relationships between the possible mechanisms of pesticides damage to the CNS causing cognitive impairment and related learning and memory pathways networks, as well as the structure-activity relationships between some natural substances (such as polyphenols and vitamins) and the improvement were summarized in this article. The mechanisms of cognitive impairment caused by pesticides are closely related. For example, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation can constitute three feedback loops that interact and restrict each other. The mechanisms of neurotransmitter abnormalities and intestinal dysfunction also play an important role. The connection between pathways is complex. NMDAR, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, Keap1/Nrf2/ARE, and NF-κB pathways can be connected into a pathway network by targets such as Ras, Akt, and IKK. The reasons for the improvement of natural substances are related to their specific structure, such as polyphenols with different hydroxyl groups. This review's purpose is to lay a foundation for exploring and developing more natural substances that can effectively improve the cognitive impairment caused by pesticides.

Altered cognition and anxiety in adolescent offspring whose mothers underwent different-pattern maternal sleep deprivation, and cognition link to hippocampal expressions of Bdnf and Syt-1

Background

Inadequate sleep during pregnancy negatively affects the neural development of offspring. Previous studies have focused on the continuous sleep deprivation (CSD) paradigm, but the sleep pattern during late pregnancy is usually fragmented.

Objective

To compare the effects of CSD and fragmented sleep deprivation (FSD) in late pregnancy on emotion, cognition, and expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins in offspring mice.

Methods

Pregnant CD-1 mice were either subjected to 3/6 h of CSD/FSD during gestation days 15-21, while those in the control group were left untreated. After delivery, the offspring were divided into five groups, i.e., control (CON), short or long CSD (CSD3h, CSD6h), and short or long FSD (FSD3h, FSD6h). When the offspring were 2 months old, the anxiety-like behavior level was tested using the open field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test, and spatial learning and memory were evaluated using the Morris water maze (MWM) test. The expression of hippocampal of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and synaptotagmin-1 (Syt-1) was determined using RT-PCR and western blotting.

Results

The CSD6h, FSD3h, and FSD6h had longer latency, fewer center times in the OF test, less open arms time and fewer numbers of entries in the open arms of the EPM, longer learning distance swam and lower memory percentage of distance swam in the target quadrant in the MWM test, and decreased BDNF and increased Syt-1 mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus. Compared to the CSD6h, the FSD3h and FSD6h had longer distance swam, a lower percentage of distance swam in the target quadrant, decreased BDNF, and increased Syt-1 mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus.

Conclusion

The results suggested that maternal sleep deprivation during late pregnancy impairs emotion and cognition in offspring, and FSD worsened the cognitive performance to a higher extent than CSD. The observed cognitive impairment could be associated with the expression of altered hippocampal of Bdnf and Syt-1 genes.

Implication of saturated fats in the aetiology of childhood attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder - A narrative review

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental health disorder in the paediatric population. ADHD is highly comorbid with obesity, and has also been associated with poor dietary patterns such as increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and saturated fats. Although ADHD in children was associated with high consumption of saturated fats, so far there has been no evidence-based attempt to integrate dietary strategies controlling for intake of saturated fats into the etiological framework of the disorder. Evidence from human studies and animal models has shown that diets high in saturated fats are detrimental for the development of dopaminergic neurocircuitries, synthesis of neurofactors (e.g. brain derived neurotrophic factor) and may promote brain inflammatory processes. Notably, animal models provide evidence that early life consumption of a high saturated fats diet may impair the development of central dopamine pathways. In the present paper, we review the impact of high saturated fats diets on neurobiological processes in human studies and animal models, and how these associations may be relevant to the neuropathophysiology of ADHD in children. The validation of this relationship and its underlying mechanisms through future investigative studies could have implications for the prevention or exacerbation of ADHD symptoms, improve the understanding of the pathogenesis of the disorder, and help design future dietary studies in patients with ADHD.

Protective effect and mechanism of Lycium barbarum L. polyphenol on cognitive impairment induced by ethanol in mice

BACKGROUND

Chronic excessive ethanol consumption damages the central nervous system and causes neurobehavioral changes, such as cognitive impairment, which is related to oxidative stress and inhibition of neurogenesis in the hippocampus. It is known that promoting neurogenesis improves learning memory, anxiety and depression. Lycium barbarum L. polyphenol (LBP) is the main active ingredient of Lycium barbarum L., which has excellent neuroprotective effects. However, the effects and mechanisms of LBP on ethanol-induced cognitive impairment are unclear.

PURPOSE

To assess the effects and mechanisms of LBP on ethanol-induced cognitive impairment in mice.

METHODS

Eight-weeks-old adult C57BL/6J mice were allowed to drink ethanol (10%) to establish a model of ethanol-induced cognitive impairment. From the 29th day of LBP (25, 50, 100, 200, 400 mg/kg, intragastric administration), the locomotor activity, novel object recognition (NOR), Y maze and Morris water maze (MWM) were sequentially performed to investigate the effect of LBP on ethanol-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Next, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence, and western blotting were used to study the underlying mechanism of LBP on ethanol-induced cognitive impairment.

RESULTS

LBP significantly decreased the escape latency and increased the number of crossings of the original platform in MWM, increased the spontaneous alteration behavior in the Y maze, and increased the preference index in the NOR in ethanol-induced mice. Notably, LBP significantly promoted the proliferation of neural stem cells, neural progenitor cells and neuroblasts, and increased the proportion of activated NSCs in mice with ethanol-induced cognitive impairment. Similarly, LBP significantly increased the number of newborn immature neurons and mature neurons. Moreover, LBP increased the levels of nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and the downstream heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) protein expression, which led to a decrease of oxidative stress levels.

CONCLUSION

LBP significantly improves cognitive impairment in ethanol-induced mice, which is attributed to the promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis and reduction of oxidative stress.

The Combined Effects of Perinatal Ethanol and Early-Life Stress on Cognition and Risk-Taking Behavior through Oxidative Stress in Rats

Both prenatal ethanol and early-life stress have been shown to induce reduced risk-taking and explorative behavior as well as cognitive dysfunction in the offspring. In this study, we examined the effect of combined exposure to ethanol and early stress on maternal care, exploratory behavior, memory performances, and oxidative stress in male offspring. Pregnant rats were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg) from gestational day (GD) 6-to postnatal day (PND) 14 and limited nesting material (LNS) from PND0-PND14 individually or in combination. Maternal behavior was evaluated during diurnal cycle. The level of corticosterone hormone and markers of oxidative stress were evaluated in the pups. Risk-taking and explorative behavior were assessed with the elevated-plus maze (EPM) test and cognitive behavior with the Morris water maze (MWM), novel object recognition (NORT), and object location memory (OLM) tests. In the mothers, perinatal alcohol or LNS either alone or in combination decreased maternal behavior. In the offspring, the combination of the two factors significantly increased the pup's plasma corticosterone concentration in comparison with ethanol and LNS alone. Reduced risk-taking behavior was observed in the ethanol, LNS and ethanol + LNS groups compared with the control group, and this was amplified in the co-exposure of ethanol and LNS groups. The MWM, NORT, and OLM tests revealed spatial and recognition memory impairment in the ethanol and LNS groups. This impairment was more profound in the co-exposure of ethanol and LNS. Also, we observed a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the hippocampus of ethanol and LNS co-exposed animals as compared with individual exposure of ethanol and LNS. While each factor independently produced similar outcomes, the results indicate that the dual exposure paradigm could significantly strengthen the outcomes.

Maternal ethanol exposure induces behavioral deficits through oxidative stress and brain-derived neurotrophic factor interrelation in rat offspring

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy damages the central nervous system of developing fetus and results in persistent physical and neurobehavioral abnormalities, including learning and memory disorders. The hippocampus which is involved in learning and memory is highly susceptible to the ethanol neurotoxic effects. Oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms in alcohol-induced disorders. Ethanol also interferes with the brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) expression. Using vitamin E as a potent antioxidant, we studied the possible interrelation between oxidative stress and BDNF on cognition. Ethanol (4 g/kg) and vitamin E (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) were given to pregnant Wistar rats on first day of gestation (GD) until weaning (28 days). Oxidative stress marker, BDNF expression, and cyclic AMP-response binding-protein (CREB) expression levels were measured on postnatal days (PND) 28. Object location memory (OLM) was evaluated on PND 34. Our results demonstrated that ethanol exposure significantly reduced glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, reduced glutathione (GSH), reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and carbonyl protein content in the hippocampus. Total BDNF, BDNF mRNA, and CREB expression significantly reduced in the hippocampus by ethanol exposure. Also, ethanol significantly reduced the discrimination index (DI) in the OLM test. In addition, vitamin E administration could reduce oxidative stress, increase significantly BDNF and CREB levels, and improve cognitive dysfunction induced by ethanol exposure. Collectively, results suggest that probably oxidative stress can interrelate with the BDNF system for modulating cognitive function in the ethanol-exposed rat.