title: Vitamins E and C pretreatment prevents ovariectomy-induced memory deficits in water maze.
abstract: We investigated whether the pretreatment with vitamins E (alpha-tocopherol) and C (ascorbic acid) would act on ovariectomy-induced memory deficits in Morris water maze tasks. Adult female Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (1) naive (control), (2) sham (submitted to surgery without removal of ovaries) and (3) ovariectomized. Thirty days after surgery, they were trained in the Morris water maze in order to verify ovariectomy effects both on reference and working memory tasks. Results show that ovariectomized rats presented impairment in spatial navigation in the acquisition phase, as well as in the time spent in target quadrant and in the latency to cross over the location of the platform in test session, when compared to naive and sham groups (controls), in the reference memory task. Ovariectomy did not affect performance in the working memory task. Confirming our hypothesis, ovariectomized rats pretreated for 30 days with vitamins E and C had those impairments prevented. We conclude that ovariectomy significantly impairs spatial reference learning/memory and that pretreatment with vitamins E and C prevents such effect. Assuming this experimental memory impairment might mimic, at least in part, the cognitive deficit sometimes present in the human condition of lack of reproductive hormones, our findings lend support to a novel therapeutic strategy, based on vitamins E and C, to cognitive impairments in post-menopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcellos, 2600-Anexo, CEP 90035-003, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Siomara C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Cristiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matté
authors.forename: Caren S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bavaresco
authors.forename: Carlos Alexandre
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Netto
authors.forename: Angela T S
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Wyse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014867:Water; D014810:Vitamin E; D001205:Ascorbic Acid