title: Memantine prevents aluminum-induced cognitive deficit in rats.
abstract: Memantine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor blocker, has been demonstrated to be neuroprotective against various neurotoxins. Aluminum, a well-known neurotoxin, has been suggested to be a contributing factor in Alzheimer's disease. In this study we investigated the possible effect of memantine on aluminum-induced cognitive impairment in rats. Rats were exposed to aluminum chloride (100mg/kg/day) and memantine (5, 10 and 20mg/kg/day) for 60 days. Cognitive functions were evaluated using three tests: Morris water maze, radial arm maze and passive avoidance tests. Results showed that memantine failed at low doses to have any significant influence on aluminum-induced memory deficit, but the 20mg/kg dose was found to cause significant enhancement of memory in the aluminum-exposed rats. This is the first study to demonstrate the protective role of memantine against aluminum-induced neuronal dysfunction. Biochemical and histological investigations are highly indicated to clarify the possible pharmacodynamic basis.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Assiut, Egypt. raafat abdelbadea@yahoo.com
authors: Raafat A
authors: RA
authors: Abdel-Aal
authors: Abdel-Azim A
authors: AA
authors: Assi
authors: Botros B
authors: BB
authors: Kostandy
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000633:toxicity*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008559:Memantine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D000535:Aluminum; D008559:Memantine