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The Effect of L-Arginine on Spatial Memory in Ovariectomized Rats
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Fatemeh Saffarzadeh *   , Mohammad J. Eslamizade , Mahmoud Hosseini |
| a. Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Tehran, Iran. b. Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Technology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. , fsaffarzadeh@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (13877 Views) |
| Introduction:
Nitric oxide (NO), an important modulator of neuronal functions, is involved in synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation (LTP). Ovarian hormones have important role on the central nervous system functions, especially learning, memory and cognitive ability. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of acute (A) and chronic (C) L-Arginine (L-Arg) administration on learning and memory in ovariectomized (OVX) rats.
Materials & Methods:
Forthy-eight female Wistar rats were grouped as: 1) Sham, 2) OVX, 3) Sham-LA-A, 4) OVX-LA-A, 5) Sham-LA-C, 6) OVX-LA-C. The animals of sham-L-Arg-A and OVX -L-Arg-A were acutely treated with 500 mg/kg of L-Arg for 5 days. Sham-L-Arg-C and OVX -L-Arg-C chronically received 500 mg/kg/day of L-Arg during 8 weeks before 5 test days.The animals in sham and OVX groups received 1 ml/kg saline instead of L-Arg. At the end of the experiment, the animals were tested in Morris water maze and the escape latency and traveled path to reach the platform were compared between groups.
Results:
Results showed that the escape latency and traveled path in OVX group were significantly higher than in sham group (p <0.05). The animals in OVX -L-Arg-A group had significantly lower traveled path length and escape latency compared to OVX group (p <0.001).
Conclusion: This indicates that L-Arg has a role in Morris water maze tasks disturbances in OVX rats. |
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| Keywords: Nitric Oxide, Synaptic plasticity, Steroids, Estrogen, Memory |
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Full-Text [PDF 1752 kb]
(2043 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research --- Open Access, CC-BY-NC |
Subject:
Neurophysiopathology
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