title: Vitamin C attenuates the physiological and behavioural changes induced by long-term exposure to noise.
abstract: Persistent, high-intensity noise is an environmental pollutant that plays a destructive role in daily life, especially in industrialized communities. Its effects may be reduced by Vitamin C supplementation. This study examined the possibility that pretreatment with vitamin C (100 mg or 200 mg/kg) could attenuate behavioural and anxiogenic effects of prolonged exposure to noise (100 dB for 2 months, 5 days/week, 4 h daily) on male laboratory mice, by using open-field and plus maze tests of emotionality, and by measuring the neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio, a physiological stress measure. The effects seen on behaviour in the open field and plus maze were consistent with the hypothesis that noise could be considered as a stressor as it significantly affected six measures of behaviour in the predicted directions. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was also increased as a result of noise exposure. Furthermore, there was good evidence from all three procedures that vitamin C supplementation can attenuate the effects of noise. We conclude that vitamin C supplementation can attenuate or prevent the psychological and physiological damage induced by prolonged noise exposure in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic.
authors.forename: Manar A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Angrini
authors.forename: Julian C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Leslie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D001205:Ascorbic Acid