title: Hippocampal synaptic plasticity restoration and anti-apoptotic effect underlie berberine improvement of learning and memory in streptozotocin-diabetic rats.
abstract: Chronic diabetes mellitus initiates apoptosis and negatively affects synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus with ensuing impairments of learning and memory. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, exhibits anti-diabetic, antioxidant and nootropic effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of berberine on hippocampal CA1 neuronal apoptosis, synaptic plasticity and learning and memory of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in perforant path-dentate gyrus synapses was recorded for assessment of synaptic plasticity and field excitatory post-synaptic potential (fEPSP) slope and population spike (PS) amplitude. PS amplitude and fEPSP significantly decreased in diabetic group versus control, and chronic berberine treatment (100mg/kg/day, p.o.) restored PS amplitude and fEPSP and ameliorated learning and memory impairment and attenuated apoptosis of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 area, as determined by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling method. In summary, chronic berberine treatment of STZ-diabetic rats significantly ameliorates learning and memory impairment and part of its beneficial effect could be attributed to improvement of synaptic dysfunction and anti-apoptotic property.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalalian-Moghaddam
authors.forename: Tourandokht
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baluchnejadmojarad
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roghani
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Goshadrou
authors.forename: Abdolaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ronaghi
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001599:Berberine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001599:Berberine