title: Melatonin prevents oxidative damage induced by maternal ethanol administration and reduces homocysteine in the cerebellum of rat pups.
abstract: Chronic alcoholism leads to elevated plasma and brain homocysteine (Hcy) levels, as demonstrated by animal experiments. This study was designed to evaluate the alterations in offspring rat cerebellum following increase of plasma Hcy level induced by maternal exposure to ethanol and to investigate the possible protective role of melatonin administration upon cerebellar ethanol-induced neurotoxicity. The adult female rats were divided randomly into 4 groups, including one control and three experimental groups, after vaginal plagues. Group I received normal saline, group II received ethanol (4 g/kg), group III received ethanol+melatonin (10mg/kg) and group IV received melatonin on day 6 of gestation until weaning. 21 days after birth, plasma Hcy level, level of lipid peroxidation, the activities of several antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and levels of bcl-2 and bax mRNA expression in cerebellum were determined. Our results demonstrated that ethanol could induce lipid peroxidation, and decrease antioxidants activities and increase plasma total Hcy level. We also observed that ethanol impaired performance on the rotarod and locomotor activities of rats. However, treatment with melatonin significantly attenuated motoric impairment, the lipid peroxidation process and restored the levels of antioxidant activities and significantly reduced plasma total Hcy levels. Moreover, melatonin reduced bax/bcl-2 ratio in the presence of ethanol. We conclude that these results provide evidence that ethanol neurotoxicity in part is related to increase of plasma Hcy levels and melatonin with reducing of plasma Hcy level has neuroprotective effects against ethanol toxicity in cerebellum.
authors: School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
authors: Farzaneh
authors: F
authors: Bagheri
authors: School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran. Electronic address: irangoudarzi@du.ac.ir.
authors: Iran
authors: I
authors: Goudarzi
authors: School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
authors: Taghi
authors: T
authors: Lashkarbolouki
authors: School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
authors: Mahmoud
authors: M
authors: Elahdadi Salmani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000633:toxicity*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494828:Bax protein, rat; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D006710:Homocysteine; D000431:Ethanol; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D008550:Melatonin
keywords: Ethanol; Homocysteine; Melatonin; Oxidative stress; Purkinje cell; Rat