Intrahippocampal Effects of Nickel Injection on the Affective and Cognitive Response in Wistar Rat: Potential Role of Oxidative Stress

• Published in: Biological trace element research 2021-09, Vol.199 (9), p.3382-3392
• Main Authors: El Brouzi, Mohamed Yassine, Lamtai, Mouloud, Zghari, Oussama, Ouakki, Sihame, Azizoun, Ibrahim, El Hessni, Aboubaker, Mesfioui, Abdelhalem, Ouichou, Ali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Catalase; Cognitive ability; Disorders; Emotional behavior; Evaluation; Field tests; Heavy metals; Hippocampus; Injection; Learning behaviour; Life Sciences; Lipid peroxidation; Lipids; Maze learning; Memory; Nickel; Nickel chloride; Nitric oxide; Nutrition; Oncology; Open-field behavior; Oxidation; Oxidative stress; Peroxidation; Short term memory; Spatial discrimination learning; Spatial memory; Superoxide dismutase; Surgery; Swimming behavior
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-020-02457-5

The present study focused on affective and cognitive behaviors in male Wistar rats, following direct and unique exposure to nickel chloride (NiCl 2 ), as well as the possible involvement of oxidative stress. The rats were exposed to NiCl 2 (300 μM), by intracerebral administration of 2 μL of this metal at the right hippocampus, using the stereotaxic approach. Five days after the surgery, a battery of behavioral tests was performed, including the open-field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze test (EPM) to assess the state of anxiety-like behavior and forced swimming test (FST) for depressive-like behavior. Y-maze and Morris Water Maze (MWM) were used to evaluate working memory and spatial learning. Thereafter, oxidative stress markers of the hippocampus were evaluated. The results confirm that NiCl 2 exerts anxiogenic effects in both anxiety tests and depressogenic effects in the FST. In addition, MWM and Y-maze data show that NiCl 2 causes memory and spatial learning disorders. The biochemical assay results showed that intrahippocampal injection of NiCl 2 increased the levels of nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation ( p < 0.001), while the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were significantly decreased in the hippocampus ( p < 0.01). Overall, these results suggest that NiCl 2 causes affective and cognitive disorders and oxidative stress in rats.