INFLUENCE OF PASSIVE SMOKING ON LEARNING AND MEMORY ABILITY OF MOUSE OFFSPRING AND INTERVENTION BY ANTIOXIDANTS / 营养学报

ABSTRACT

Objective: To study the protective effects of two antioxidants on the influence of passive smoking on learning and memory ability of mouse offspring. Method: Passive smoking model of pregnant mice was established. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by water maze and long term potentiation (LTP). Nitric oxide (NO) content and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity of brain, vitamin E(VE) concentration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of serum were determined. Results: Latency (the swimming time from beginning to endpoint) and errors (the number of entering blind end) in control and two antioxidant groups were shorter as compared with tobacco smoking (TS) group after 6 d in water maze test, and still shorter after 10 d in control and TS+VE groups. LTP was inhibited in TS group but increased significantly in two antioxidant groups. NOS activitiy was significantly higher in TS group in comparisonwith the control. NO content of TS+VE group was significantly lower than TS and TS+Q groups. Serum VE concentration and ROS level were correlated with the results of latency in water maze and LTP. Conclusion: Passive smoking of the pregnant mice may restrain LTP formation through disturbance of hippocampus function, and reduce the learning and memory ability of the offspring and VE may protect such effects.