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. 2014 Aug;63(4):318-24.
doi: 10.7727/wimj.2013.089. Epub 2014 Feb 24.

Ascorbic Acid ameliorates nicotine exposure induced impaired spatial memory performances in rats

S R Sirasanagandla  1 , R K Rooben  2 , Rajkumar  2 , S N Narayanan  3 , R Jetti  1
Affiliations

Ascorbic Acid ameliorates nicotine exposure induced impaired spatial memory performances in rats

S R Sirasanagandla et al. West Indian Med J. 2014 Aug.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Introduction: The long lasting behavioural and cognitive impairments in offspring prenatally exposed to nicotine have been confirmed in animal models. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ascorbic acid on prenatal nicotine exposure induced behavioral deficits in male offspring of rats.

Methods: The pregnant Wistar dams were divided into four groups of six rats: control, vehicle control, nicotine and nicotine+ascorbic acid groups. The nicotine group received daily dose of subcutaneous injections of 0.96 mg/kg body weight (bw) nicotine free base throughout gestation. Pregnant dams in nicotine+ascorbic acid group were first given nicotine free base (0.96 mg/kg bw/day; subcutaneous route) followed by ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg bw/day, orally) daily throughout gestation. The cognitive function of male offspring of all the experimental groups was studied using Morris water maze test at postnatal day 40.

Results: Prenatal nicotine exposure altered spatial learning and memory in male offspring. However, treatment with ascorbic acid ameliorated these changes in rats.

Conclusion: Ascorbic acid supplementation was found to be effective in preventing the prenatal nicotine exposure induced cognitive deficits in rat offspring to some extent.

Introducción:: Se han confirmado afectaciones cognitivas y conductuales de larga duración en la cría prenatalmente expuesta a la nicotina en modelos animales. En el presente estudio, se investigó el efecto del ácido ascórbico en las deficiencias conductuales provocadas por exposición prenatal a la nicotina en las crías de ratas machos.

Métodos:: Las ratas Wistar preñadas fueron divididas en cuatro grupos de seis ratas – control, control con vehículo, nicotina, y grupos de nicotina + ácido ascórbico. El grupo de nicotina recibió una dosis diaria de inyecciones subcutáneas de una base libre de nicotina de peso corporal (pc) 0.96 mg/kg durante la gestación. Las ratas preñadas en el grupo de nicotina + ácido ascórbico recibieron primero una base libre de nicotina (0.96 mg/kg pc/día; vía subcutánea) seguida por el ácido ascórbico (50 mg/kg pc/día, vía oral) diariamente a lo largo de la gestación. La función cognitiva de las crías de ratas machos de todos los grupos experimentales, se estudió mediante la prueba de laberinto de agua de Morris en el día postnatal 40 (PD-40).

Resultados:: La exposición prenatal a la nicotina alteró el aprendizaje espacial y la memoria en las crías de machos. Sin embargo, el tratamiento con ácido ascórbico mejoró estos cambios en las ratas.

Conclusion:: Se halló que la suplementación con ácido ascórbico era eficaz en la prevención de los déficits cognitivos por exposición a la nicotina prenatal en crías de rata en cierta medida.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Water maze acquisition performance. Prenatal nicotine exposure affected water maze acquisition task in rats as indicated by their longer escape latency to reach the hidden platform. This was significantly attenuated by the administration of ascorbic acid as demonstrated by their decreased escape latency to reach hidden platform on the final day trials. δδp < 0.01, φp < 0.05. One way ANOVA and Tukey tests.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Latency to reach the target quadrant. Time elapsed before reaching the target quadrant was significantly elevated in prenatal nicotine exposed rats compared to other groups. Ascorbic acid was effective in ameliorating the nicotine exposure induced changes in rat offspring. δδ, **, φφp < 0.01.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Time spent in the target quadrant. The time spent in the target quadrant during probe trial was significantly less in prenatal nicotine exposed rats compared to other groups. These changes in rats were significantly prevented by ascorbic acid administration. δp < 0.05, **p < 0.01, φφp < 0.01.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Number of crossings across the former location of the platform in the target quadrant. Platform crossing/searching frequency was significantly decreased in prenatal nicotine exposed group when compared to control/vehicle control group. This indicates impaired memory retention in these rats. Ascorbic acid supplementation significantly ameliorated these changes in rats. *p < 0.05, δδ, φφp < 0.01.
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