ALUMINIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES COMPROMISE SPATIAL LEARNING AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE IN RATS

Imen M'Rad (1) , Mustapha Jeljeli (2) , Naima Rihane (3) , Pascal Hilber (4) , Mohsen Sakly (5) , Salem Amara (6)

1 Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée [Bizerte, Tunisia]
2 Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte [Université de Carthage]
3 Bio-PeroxIL - Laboratoire Bio-PeroxIL. Biochimie du Peroxysome, Inflammation et Métabolisme Lipidique
4 CRFDP - Centre de Recherches sur les Fonctionnements et Dysfonctionnements Psychologiques
5 Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée
6 Physiologie Intégrée

Recently, the biosafety and potential influences of nanoparticles on central nervous system have received more attention. In the present study, we assessed the effect of aluminium oxide nanoparticles (Al 2 O 3-NPs) on spatial cognition. Male Wistar rats were intravenously administered Al 2 O 3-NP suspension (20 mg/kg body weight/day) for four consecutive days, after which they were assessed. The results indicated that Al 2 O 3-NPs impaired spatial learning and memory ability. An increment in malondialdehyde levels with a concomitant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity confirmed the induction of oxidative stress in the hippocampus. Additionally, our findings showed that exposure to Al 2 O 3-NPs resulted in decreased acetylcholinesterase activity in the hippocampus. Furthermore , Al 2 O 3-NPs enhanced aluminium (Al) accumulation and disrupted mineral element homoeostasis in the hippocampus. However, they did not change the morphology of the hippocampus. Our results show a connection among oxidative stress, disruption of mineral element homoeostasis, and Al accumulation in the hippocampus, which leads to spatial memory deficit in rats treated with Al 2 O 3-NPs.

Keywords: Aluminium oxide nanoparticle; hippocampus; oxidative response; spatial memory

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; Cognitive Sciences; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; Neurobiology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]; Psychology and behavior; Humanities and Social Sciences; Psychology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Pharmaceutical sciences; Pharmacology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Tissues and Organs [q-bio.TO]; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Psychiatrics and mental health; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Development Biology; Embryology and Organogenesis; Cognitive science; Psychology; Cognitive science; Neuroscience

Imen M'Rad, Mustapha Jeljeli, Naima Rihane, Pascal Hilber, Mohsen Sakly, et al.. ALUMINIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES COMPROMISE SPATIAL LEARNING AND MEMORY PERFORMANCE IN RATS. EXCLI Journal, 2018, 17, pp.200 - 210. ⟨10.17179/excli2017-1050⟩. ⟨hal-02355843⟩