Study on relationship between effects of quercetin on learning and memory in Alzheimer's disease rats and apoptosis of hippocampus cells

Object To observe the relationship between effects of quercetin (Que) on learning and memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats and apoptosis of the hippocampus cells. Methods The AD pathological model was made by hippocampal CA 1 lesions due to stereotaxic mini injection of quinolinic acid (QA), the rat's learning and memory were observed by Y maze; the apoptosis of hippocampal cells were detected by using flow cytometry and electronic microscope. Results Que was shown to improve learning and memory deficiency in rats with bilateral hippocampal lesions induced by QA, to decrease apoptosis rate in hippocampal cells significantly. Conclusion These results suggested that Que for the protective effects of AD rats may be related to its ability to decrease apoptosis rate of hippocampal cells.