Improvement in Memory and Brain Long-term Potentiation Deficits Due to Permanent Hypoperfusion/Ischemia by Grape Seed Extract in Rats.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE(S):

Cerebral hypoperfusion/ischemia (CHI) is a neurological disease where impaired hippocampus electrical activity and cognition caused by a serial pathophysiological events. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chronic oral administration of grape seed extract (GSE) on passive avoidance memory and long-term potentiation (LTP) after permanent bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion (2CCAO) in male adult rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into: 1) Sham+Veh, 2) Isch+Veh, 3) Sham+GSE, 4) Isch+GSE. In order to make 2CCAO as an animal model of CHI, carotid arteries were ligatured and then cut bilaterally. To evaluation of passive avoidance memory, step-down latency (STL) was measured and LTP was recorded from hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) after high frequency stimulation (HFS) in all rats.

RESULTS:

We found that memory was significantly impaired in rats after CHI (P<0.001) concomitant with hippocampal LTP inhibition (P<0.05, P<0.01 for LTP1 and LTP48 respectively). GSE treatment significantly improved memory impairment and increased hippocampal LTP in rats with 2CCAO.

CONCLUSION:

Our results in present study suggest that GSE exhibits therapeutic potential for short-and long-term memories as well as LTP in DG, which is most likely related at least in part to its antioxidative and free radical scavenging actions.

• Authors: Alireza Sarkaki, Maryam Rafieirad, Seyed Ebrahim Hossini, Yaghoub Farbood, Fereshteh Motamedi, Seyed Mohammad Taghi Mansouri, Bahareh Naghizadeh
• Journal: Iranian journal of basic medical sciences (Iran J Basic Med Sci) Vol. 16 Issue 9 Pg. 1004-10 (Sep 2013) ISSN: 2008-3866 [Print] Iran
• PMID: 24171080 (Publication Type: Journal Article)