Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, No. 210 Hospital of PLA, Dalian, 116021, China.
Laboratory Animal center, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116044, China.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;975 Pt 1:255-269. doi: 10.1007/978-94-024-1079-2_23.
To evaluate protection of taurine against arsenic (As)-induced impairment of learning and memory as well as explore its protective mechanism, mice were divided into control, As and taurine protection groups. Mice of As exposure group exposed to drinking water containing 4 ppm AsO. Mice of taurine protective group received both 4 ppm AsO and 150 mg taurine per kilogram. Mice of control group only drank double-distilled water. All animals were treated for 60 days. Morphology of brain was observed by HE staining. Morris water maze (MWM) tests and step-down passive avoidance task were performed to examine cognition function. Moreover, expressions of some genes and proteins related to regulation learning and memory in brain were tested by Real Time RT-PCR and Western Blot. As a result, abnormal morphologic changes in brain tissue and poor performance in cognition functions were observed in As-exposed mice. The expression of TRβ protein, a regulator of CaMK IV gene, significantly decreased in brains of As-exposed mice than in controls. By contrast, impairment in learning and memory, change in brain morphology and disturbance in protein expression were significantly mitigated in mice of taurine protective group. Our results suggest that taurine supplementation protects against neurotoxicity induced by As in mice.
为了评估牛磺酸对砷（As）引起的学习和记忆损伤的保护作用，并探讨其保护机制，将小鼠分为对照组、As 组和牛磺酸保护组。暴露于 As 的小鼠组暴露于含有 4ppm AsO 的饮用水中。牛磺酸保护组的小鼠同时接受 4ppm AsO 和 150mg/kg 牛磺酸。对照组的小鼠只饮用双蒸水。所有动物均接受 60 天的治疗。通过 HE 染色观察脑组织形态。通过 Morris 水迷宫（MWM）测试和跳下式被动回避任务评估认知功能。此外，通过实时 RT-PCR 和 Western Blot 检测与调节学习和记忆相关的一些基因和蛋白质的表达。结果显示，暴露于 As 的小鼠脑组织出现异常形态变化，认知功能下降。As 暴露小鼠脑中 CaMK IV 基因调节因子 TRβ 蛋白的表达明显低于对照组。相比之下，牛磺酸保护组的小鼠学习和记忆损伤、脑形态变化和蛋白表达紊乱明显减轻。我们的结果表明，牛磺酸补充可防止 As 诱导的小鼠神经毒性。
