ABSTRACT
Chronic intermitted hypoxia including sleep breathing disorder leads to brain injury. This study explores the potential therapeutic effects of grape seed proanthocyanidin as a neuroprotective agent. A rat model of chronic intermittent hypoxia was employed, and the animals were given low or high doses of grape seed proanthocyanidin. The ultrastructure changes in the brain, the biochemical components, and the animal behavior were examined. The results showed that with hypoxia exposure, neuronal mitochondria exhibited injuries at ultrastructural level, with increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining revealed increased cell apoptosis in hippocampus. In Morris water maze the animals showed decreased learning abilities, when compared to normal control. The administration of grape seed proanthocyanidin treatment reversed all these observed changes, and improved the learning behavior. We concluded that grape seed proanthocyanidin could alleviate the brain injury caused by hypoxia from sleep breathing disorder.