Cadmium exposure during lactation causes learning and memory-impairment in F1 generation mice: amelioration by quercetin

• Published in: Drug and chemical toxicology (New York, N.Y. 1978) N.Y. 1978), 2016-07, Vol.39 (3), p.272-278
• Main Authors: Halder, Sumita, Kar, Rajarshi, Galav, Vikas, Mehta, Ashish K, Bhattacharya, Swapan K, Mediratta, Pramod K, Banerjee, Basu D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Brain - drug effects; Brain - growth & development; Brain - metabolism; Brain - physiopathology; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Female; Lactation; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Memory - drug effects; Mice; morris water maze; oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; quercetin; Quercetin - pharmacology; step down latency test
• ISSN: 0148-0545; 1525-6014
• DOI: 10.3109/01480545.2015.1092042

Cadmium (Cd) is a known pollutant present in the environment at low levels and is reported to affect reproduction in many ways. The present study was undertaken to explore the effect of Cd in F1 generation mice on cognitive parameters, and to further investigate whether quercetin could modulate these effects. In this study, female lactating mice were exposed to cadmium for seven days just after delivery. The new born pups in their adulthood were tested for learning and memory parameters by passive avoidance task and Morris water maze (MWM) test. It was observed that pups exposed to Cd showed significant impairment of memory in step down latency test, which was reversed by quercetin (100 mg/kg). In MWM test for spatial memory, animals exposed to Cd exhibited increased escape latency, which was reversed by quercetin (50 mg/kg) significantly. Quercetin alone (50 and 100 mg/kg) also demonstrated improved spatial memory, and showed improved retention memory in the passive avoidance paradigm at dose 50 mg/kg. On testing oxidative stress parameters, we observed significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in brain tissue of Cd-treated mice. Moreover, co-treatment with quercetin (50 mg/kg) and Cd significantly reduced these MDA levels. The other doses (25 and 100 mg/kg) also showed reduction in MDA levels as compared to the group exposed to Cd alone, though the difference was not statistically significant. Hence, this study highlights the possibility of cognitive impairment in adulthood if there is Cd exposure during lactation and oxidative stress could possibly attribute to this effect.