Tian Ming, Li Zhi, Wang Gao, Pan Weizhong, Li Kezhong
Department of Anesthesiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, Shandong 250012, P.R. China; Department of Anesthesiology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China.
Department of Anesthesiology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China.
Exp Ther Med. 2016 Apr;11(4):1493-1498. doi: 10.3892/etm.2016.3074. Epub 2016 Feb 16.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the learning and memory ability of young rats exposed to propofol, and its underlying mechanisms. Sprague Dawley rats (n=60) were randomly divided into six groups: Control group (group A); solvent control group (group B); propofol group (group C); low-dose DHA + propofol group (group D); medium dose DHA + propofol group (group E); and high-dose DHA + propofol group (group F). The Morris water maze (MWM) test was performed to evaluate the rats' learning and memory ability, and tissue samples from the hippocampi of the rats were obtained for biochemical analysis. The results of the MWM test revealed that DHA supplementation administered to young rats led to an evident decrease in the latency to find the maze platform, and a significant increase in the number of platform crossings in groups E and F compared with group C (P<0.05). High-performance liquid chromatography indicated that glutamate concentration levels were significantly lower and γ-aminobutyric acid concentration levels were significantly higher in the hippocampi of group E and F rats treated with DHA compared with group C rats (P<0.05). Furthermore, DHA treatment alleviated the decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels (P<0.05), and superoxide dismutase (P<0.05) and glutathione peroxidase (P<0.05) activities induced by the administration of propofol. Additionally, DHA treatment decreased malondialdehyde levels in the hippocampi of rats (P<0.05). The aforementioned findings demonstrate that DHA was able to effectively improve learning and memory dysfunction induced by repeated propofol-induced anesthesia in young rats. This data suggests that DHA may be a potential candidate for further preclinical studies aimed at treating postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
本研究的目的是探讨二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）对暴露于丙泊酚的幼鼠学习记忆能力的影响及其潜在机制。将60只Sprague Dawley大鼠随机分为六组：对照组（A组）；溶剂对照组（B组）；丙泊酚组（C组）；低剂量DHA+丙泊酚组（D组）；中剂量DHA+丙泊酚组（E组）；高剂量DHA+丙泊酚组（F组）。进行Morris水迷宫（MWM）试验以评估大鼠的学习记忆能力，并获取大鼠海马组织样本进行生化分析。MWM试验结果显示，与C组相比，给幼鼠补充DHA导致找到迷宫平台的潜伏期明显缩短，E组和F组的平台穿越次数显著增加（P<0.05）。高效液相色谱法表明，与C组大鼠相比，用DHA处理的E组和F组大鼠海马中的谷氨酸浓度水平显著降低，γ-氨基丁酸浓度水平显著升高（P<0.05）。此外，DHA处理减轻了丙泊酚给药引起的脑源性神经营养因子水平降低（P<0.05）、超氧化物歧化酶（P<0.05）和谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（P<0.05）活性降低。此外，DHA处理降低了大鼠海马中的丙二醛水平（P<0.05）。上述研究结果表明，DHA能够有效改善幼鼠反复丙泊酚诱导麻醉所致的学习记忆功能障碍。该数据表明，DHA可能是进一步旨在治疗术后认知功能障碍的临床前研究的潜在候选药物。
