Effect of vitamin E on learning and memory deficit in aged rats.
In order to verify whether vitamin E improves the cognitive impairment induced through aging, aged rats fed a vitamin E-supplemented diet had their learning and memory functions assessed in comparison with the aged rats fed a normal diet using a Morris water maze test. Although normal aged rats showed very poor learning ability concerning the place of a platform in the water maze apparatus, the aged rats fed the vitamin E-supplemented diet learned the place with a marked speed in only 5 trials. After old animals showed the maximum learning ability, they were kept in a normal atmosphere for 48 h without a trial followed by an assessment of their memory function using the same apparatus. The vitamin E-supplementation to aged rats resulted in marked retention of their maximum memory function, although normal aged rats showed a significant memory loss of about 60%. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), which increases in the production of nerve growth factor, and protects neurons, had a similar effect on cognitive function to that of vitamin E in the aged rats. These results suggest that vitamin E may improve cognitive deficit caused through aging by not only its neuro-protecting effect but an antioxidant efficacy.
Takatsu
Hirokatsu
H
Division of Biological Chemistry, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Owada
Kei
K
Abe
Kouichi
K
Nakano
Masahiro
M
Urano
Shiro
S
D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045542:PQQ Cofactor / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000975:Antioxidants; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D014810:Vitamin E; D045542:PQQ Cofactor