Edaravone injection ameliorates cognitive deficits in rat model of Alzheimer’s disease

• Published in: Neurological sciences 2015-11, Vol.36 (11), p.2067-2072
• Main Authors: Yang, Rui, Wang, Qingjun, Li, Fang, Li, Jian, Liu, Xuewen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase - metabolism; Aldehydes - metabolism; Alzheimer Disease - drug therapy; Alzheimer Disease - metabolism; Alzheimer Disease - pathology; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Animals; Antipyrine - administration & dosage; Antipyrine - analogs & derivatives; Choline O-Acetyltransferase - metabolism; Dentate Gyrus - drug effects; Dentate Gyrus - metabolism; Dentate Gyrus - pathology; Disease Models, Animal; Immunohistochemistry; Maze Learning - drug effects; Maze Learning - physiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurology; Neuroprotective Agents - administration & dosage; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Nootropic Agents - administration & dosage; Original Article; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Peptide Fragments; Psychiatry; Random Allocation; Rats, Wistar; Spatial Memory - drug effects; Spatial Memory - physiology
• ISSN: 1590-1874; 1590-3478
• DOI: 10.1007/s10072-015-2314-y

Oxidative stress plays important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Edaravone is a potent free radical scavenger that exerts antioxidant effects. Therefore, in this study we aimed to investigate neuroprotective effects of edaravone for AD. Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups ( n  = 15): control group, model group, and treatment group, which were injected with phosphate buffered saline, Aβ1-40, and Aβ1-40 together with 5 mg/kg edaravone, respectively, into the right hippocampal dentate gyrus. Spatial learning and memory of the rats were examined by Morris water maze test. 4-Hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) level in rat hippocampus was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetylase (ChAT) activities were assayed by commercial kits. We found that edaravone ameliorated spatial learning and memory deficits in the rats. 4-HNE level in the hippocampus as well as AChE and ChAT activities in the hippocampus was significantly lower in treatment group than in model group. In conclusion, edaravone may be developed as a novel agent for the treatment of AD for improving cholinergic system and protecting neurons from oxidative toxicity.