title: NADPH oxidase-derived production of reactive oxygen species is involved in learning and memory impairments in 16-month-old female rats.
abstract: Women undergoing the natural menopause can experience progressive cognitive dysfunction, particularly in the form of memory impairment. However, the mechanisms underlying memory impairments in the menopause remain to be elucidated. There is increasing evidence that oxidative damage caused by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production may correlate with age‑associated cognitive impairment. The nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) family is important in the generation of ROS in the brain. It has been hypothesized that the accumulation of ROS, derived from NOX, may be involved in menopause‑associated learning and memory impairments. The present study investigated whether NOX‑derived ROS generation affected the learning and memory ability in 3‑month and 16‑month‑old female rats. The results of a morris water maze assessment revealed that there were significant learning and memory impairments in the 16‑month‑old female rats. Furthermore, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), level of malondialdehyde (MDA), production of ROS and expression levels of NOX2, p47phox, Ras‑related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1) and protein kinase C α (PKCα) were investigated in the cortex and hippocampus of 3‑month and 16‑month old female rats. The results demonstrated that the activity of SOD was significantly decreased, whereas the levels of MDA, production of ROS and expression levels of NOX2, p47phox, RAC1 and PKCα were significantly increased in the 16‑month old female rats. These results suggested that NOX‑mediated oxidative stress may be important in menopause‑associated learning and memory impairments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuchan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wangyang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Anhui Institute of Materia Medica, Hefei, Anhui 230022, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmacology, Anhui Institute of Materia Medica, Hefei, Anhui 230022, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Synthetic Laboratory of Basic Medicine College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Dake
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Key Laboratory of Anti‑Inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weizu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000074662:NADPH Oxidase 2; D019255:NADPH Oxidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C500593:Cybb protein, rat; D000074662:NADPH Oxidase 2; D019255:NADPH Oxidases; C060505:neutrophil cytosolic factor 1; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha; C499134:Rac1 protein, rat; D020830:rac1 GTP-Binding Protein