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  2. Oral administration of d-galactose induces cognitive impairments and oxidative damage in rats

Oral administration of d-galactose induces cognitive impairments and oxidative damage in rats

  • Behav Brain Res. 2016 Apr 1;302:35-43. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.12.041.
Josiane Budni 1 Robson Pacheco 2 Sabrina da Silva 2 Michelle Lima Garcez 2 Francielle Mina 2 Tatiani Bellettini-Santos 2 Jesiel de Medeiros 2 Bruna Constantino Voss 2 Amanda Valnier Steckert 3 Samira da Silva Valvassori 4 João Quevedo 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Laboratório de Neurociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Laboratório de Doenças Neurodegenerativas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2 Laboratório de Neurociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Laboratório de Doenças Neurodegenerativas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
  • 3 Laboratório de Neurociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
  • 4 Laboratório de Neurociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Laboratório de Sinalização Neural e Psicofarmacologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil.
  • 5 Laboratório de Neurociências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, Brazil; Translational Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA; Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Abstract

d-Galactose (d-gal) is a reducing sugar that can be used to mimic the characteristics of aging in rodents; however, the effects of d-gal administration by oral route are not clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate if the oral administration of d-gal induces cognitive impairments, neuronal loss, and oxidative damage, mimicking an animal model of aging. Male adult Wistar rats (4 months old) received d-gal (100mg/kg) via the oral route for a period of 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. The results showed cognitive impairments in the open-field test in the 4th and 6th weeks after d-gal administration, as well as an impairment in spatial memory in the radial maze test after the 6th week of d-gal administration. The results indicated increase of levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive species-TBARS-and carbonyl group content in the prefrontal cortex from the 4th week, and in all weeks of d-gal administration, respectively. An increase in the levels of TBARS and carbonyl group content was observed in the hippocampus over the entire period of d-gal treatment. In the 8th week of d-gal administration, we also observed reductions in synaptophysin and Tau Protein levels in the prefrontal cortex. Thus, d-gal given by oral route caused cognitive impairments which were accompanied by oxidative damage. Therefore, these results indicate that orally administered d-gal can induce the behavioral and neurochemical alterations that are observed in the natural aging process. However, oral d-gal effect in rats deserve further studies to be better described.

Keywords

Aging; Cognitive impairment; Oral d-galactose; Oxidative damage.

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