Abstract
Apart from a role as a key regulator of calcium/phosphate homeostasis, vitamin D (Vit D) is suggested to be a potential player in nervous system growth and function. This study aimed to assess the impacts of Vit D administration on memory impairment, oxidative damage, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) overactivity in hypothyroid juvenile rats. The animals were randomly grouped as (1) Control; (2) Hypothyroid; (3) Hypothyroid-Vit D100, and (4) Hypothyroid-Vit D 500. Propylthiouracil (PTU) was added to their drinking water (0.05%) for 6 weeks, and Vit D (100 or 500 IU/kg) treatment was performed daily by gavage. Morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance (PA) tests were performed. The brains were removed under deep anesthesia, then the hippocampal and cortical tissues were separated to assess biochemical parameters. Hypothyroidism was significantly associated with learning and memory impairment in MWM and PA tests. Hypothyroidism was also accompanied by an elevation in AChE activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content and a reduced level of thiol content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the brain. Treatment with Vit D recovered hypothyroidism-induced cognitive impairment and improved memory performance in MWM and PA tasks. On the other hand, Vit D alleviated AChE activity and MDA level, whereas increased SOD activity and thiol content in the hippocampal and cortical tissues. In conclusion, these outcomes suggest an association between the oral administrations of Vit D and learning and memory improvement of hypothyroid rats, which was accompanied by decreasing AChE activity and brain tissue oxidative damage.
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The reported data in the current manuscript were obtained from a PhD thesis (NO: 1611-A and 981317 ).
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We would like to extend our honest thanks to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, for financial support.
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Seyed Hamidreza Rastegar-Moghaddam, Fatemeh Alipour, Arezoo Rajabian, Mahmoud Hosseini, Alireza Ebrahimzadeh bideskan.
MH and AE conceived and designed research. HR, FA, and AR conducted experiments. HR and MH analyzed data. HR, FA, AR, and MH wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript, all data were generated in-house, and that no paper mill was used.
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Rastegar-Moghaddam, S.H., Hosseini, M., Alipour, F. et al. The effects of vitamin D on learning and memory of hypothyroid juvenile rats and brain tissue acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress indicators. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 395, 337–351 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-021-02195-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-021-02195-y