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Quercetin relieves chronic lead exposure-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity in rat dentate gyrus in vivo

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Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that lead (Pb) produces impairments partly through oxidative stress. Though many researchers have investigated protective effect of some antioxidant nutrients against Pb toxicity, little information is available about the effect of antioxidants on Pb-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity. Quercetin, a strong antioxidant and radical scavenger, is the representative natural flavonoid molecule abundant in fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have found that quercetin was neuroprotective in many cases. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of quercetin on chronic Pb exposure-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity in adult rat dentate gyrus (DG) area in vivo. The input/output (I/O) functions, paired-pulse reactions (PPR), excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP), and population spike (PS) amplitude were measured in the DG area of different groups of rats in response to stimulation applied to the lateral perforant path. The results showed that the depressed I/O, PPR, and long-term potentiation (LTP) of Pb-exposed group were significantly increased by quercetin treatment. In addition, hippocampal Pb concentration was partially reduced after quercetin treatment. These findings suggest that quercetin treatment could relieve chronic Pb exposure-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity and might be a potential therapeutic intervention to cure cognitive deficits induced by Pb.

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Abbreviations

control + Que:

control with quercetin treatment

CREB:

cyclic-AMP response element binding protein

DG:

dentate gyrus

EPSP:

excitatory postsynaptic potential

I/O:

input/output functions

IPI:

interpulse interval

LTP:

long-term potentiation

Pb + Que:

chronic lead exposed with quercetin treatment

PPF:

paired-pulse facilitation

PPR:

paired-pulse reactions

PS:

population spike

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (no. 2002CB512907), the National Nature Science Foundation of China (nos. 30630057; 30670554; 30670662; 30672290), Academia Sinica (No. KZCX3-SW-437), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.20060400719), K. C. Wong Education Foundation of Hong Kong, and Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No.050430801).

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  1. Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, People’s Republic of China

    Pu Hu, Ming Wang, Wei-Heng Chen, Ji Liu, Liang Chen, Shu-Ting Yin, Wu Yong, Ju-Tao Chen, Hui-Li Wang & Di-Yun Ruan

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  1. Pu Hu
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  2. Ming Wang
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Hu, P., Wang, M., Chen, WH. et al. Quercetin relieves chronic lead exposure-induced impairment of synaptic plasticity in rat dentate gyrus in vivo. Naunyn-Schmied Arch Pharmacol 378, 43–51 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-008-0301-z

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