Korewo-Labelle Daria, Karnia Mateusz Jakub, Myślińska Dorota, Kaczor Jan Jacek
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.
Department of Animal and Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
Cells. 2025 Apr 26;14(9):641. doi: 10.3390/cells14090641.
Chronic cold exposure is a stressor that may adversely affect the hippocampal structure and cognitive function. Critical for memory formation and learning processes, the hippocampus is particularly susceptible to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and elevated glucocorticoid levels. Vitamin D plays a complex role in regulating mitochondrial function and may provide neuroprotection. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic cold exposure on proteins associated with signaling pathways, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in the hippocampus of rats and to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of vitamin D3 supplementation. Male Wistar rats (n = 26) were assigned to four groups: control (CON; n = 4), sham stress (WW; n = 6), chronic cold water immersion (CCWI) (CW group; n = 8), and CCWI with 600 IU/kg/day vitamin D3 (VD3) supplementation (CW + D group; n = 8). Exposure to CCWI significantly reduced the hippocampal mass of rats, an effect not reversed by vitamin D3 supplementation. However, vitamin D3 improved mitochondrial function and exhibited antioxidant effects, partially reducing markers of protein and lipid free radicals damage in neural tissue. Our findings demonstrate the antioxidant properties of VD3 and its potential role in mitigating hippocampal damage during prolonged cold exposure, although its neuroprotective effects remain limited.
长期暴露于寒冷环境是一种应激源，可能会对海马体结构和认知功能产生不利影响。海马体对记忆形成和学习过程至关重要，特别容易受到下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴活动和糖皮质激素水平升高的影响。维生素D在调节线粒体功能方面发挥着复杂的作用，可能具有神经保护作用。本研究旨在探讨长期暴露于寒冷环境对大鼠海马体中与信号通路、线粒体功能和氧化应激相关蛋白质的影响，并评估补充维生素D3的神经保护潜力。将雄性Wistar大鼠（n = 26）分为四组：对照组（CON；n = 4）、假应激组（WW；n = 6）、长期冷水浸泡组（CCWI）（CW组；n = 8）和补充600 IU/kg/天维生素D3的长期冷水浸泡组（VD3组；n = 8）。长期冷水浸泡显著降低了大鼠的海马体质量，补充维生素D3并未逆转这一效应。然而，维生素D3改善了线粒体功能并表现出抗氧化作用，部分降低了神经组织中蛋白质和脂质自由基损伤的标志物。我们的研究结果证明了维生素D3的抗氧化特性及其在减轻长期寒冷暴露期间海马体损伤方面的潜在作用，尽管其神经保护作用仍然有限。
