Qi Cong-Cong, Ge Jin-Fang, Zhou Jiang-Ning
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui, China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui, China; School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui, China.
Physiol Behav. 2015 Feb;139:231-9. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.053. Epub 2014 Nov 21.
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a crucial phytohormone that exists in a wide range of animals, including humans, and has multiple bioactivities. As direct derivatives of carotenoids, ABA and retinoic acid (RA) share similar molecular structures, and RA has been reported to improve spatial memory in rodents. To explore the potential effects of ABA on spatial learning and memory in rodents, 20mg/kg ABA was administered to young rats for 6weeks, and its effects on behaviour performance were evaluated through a series of behavioural tests. ABA pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that the exogenous ABA was distributed widely in the rat brain, characterised by rapid absorption and slow elimination. The behavioural tests showed that ABA increased both the duration spent in the target quadrant and the frequency it was entered in the probe test of the Morris water maze (MWM) and decreased the latency to locate the target quadrant. Moreover, ABA decreased the latency to enter the novel arm in the Y-maze test, accompanied by increases in the total entries and distance travelled in the three arms. However, there were no significant differences between the ABA-treated and control rats in the open field test and elevated plus-maze test. These results preliminarily indicate that ABA improves spatial memory in MWM and exploratory activity in Y-maze in young rats.
脱落酸（ABA）是一种重要的植物激素，存在于包括人类在内的多种动物中，并具有多种生物活性。作为类胡萝卜素的直接衍生物，ABA和视黄酸（RA）具有相似的分子结构，并且据报道RA可改善啮齿动物的空间记忆。为了探究ABA对啮齿动物空间学习和记忆的潜在影响，给幼鼠施用20mg/kg的ABA，持续6周，并通过一系列行为测试评估其对行为表现的影响。ABA药代动力学分析表明，外源性ABA在大鼠脑中广泛分布，其特点是吸收迅速、消除缓慢。行为测试表明，在莫里斯水迷宫（MWM）的探测测试中，ABA增加了在目标象限停留的时间和进入该象限的频率，并缩短了定位目标象限的潜伏期。此外，在Y迷宫测试中，ABA缩短了进入新臂的潜伏期，同时增加了在三个臂中的总进入次数和行进距离。然而，在旷场试验和高架十字迷宫试验中，接受ABA处理的大鼠和对照大鼠之间没有显著差异。这些结果初步表明，ABA可改善幼鼠在MWM中的空间记忆和在Y迷宫中的探索活动。
