title: Folic acid prevented cognitive impairment in experimental pneumococcal meningitis.
abstract: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial meningitis, with a high mortality rate and neurological sequelae. In contrast, folic acid plays an important role in neuroplasticity and the preservation of neuronal integrity. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of folic acid on memory, oxidative damage, enzymatic defence, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in experimental pneumococcal meningitis. In animals that received folic acid at a dose of 10 or 50 mg, there was a reduction in both crossing and rearing during an open-field task compared with the training session, demonstrating habituation memory. During a step-down inhibitory avoidance task, there was a difference between the training and the test sessions, demonstrating aversive memory. In the hippocampus, BDNF expression decreased in the meningitis group; however, adjuvant treatment with 10 mg of folic acid increased BDNF expression, decreased lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, nitrate/nitrite levels, and myeloperoxidase activity and increased superoxide dismutase activity. In frontal cortex adjuvant treatment with 10 mg of folic acid decreased lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation. There is substantial interest in the role of folic acid and related pathways in nervous system function and in folic acid's potential therapeutic effects. Here, adjuvant treatment with vitamin B9 prevented memory impairment in experimental pneumococcal meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Experimental, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCS), Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde (UNASAU), Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, SC, 88806-000, Brazil, tba@unesc.net.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barichello
authors.forename: Jaqueline S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Generoso
authors.forename: Lutiana R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Amanda V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Steckert
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dominguini
authors.forename: Pâmela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gubert
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kapczinski
authors.forename: Luciano K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Jornada
authors.forename: Lucineia G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Danielski
authors.forename: Fabricia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petronilho
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Budni
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quevedo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D005492:Folic Acid