Effects of n-butylphthalide on mitochondria in hippocampus and learning and memory abilities in rats with chronic alcoholism

Objective To explore the effects of n-butylphthalide (NBP) on mitochondria in hippocampus and learning and memory abilities in rats with chronic alcoholism. Methods 60 male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups on average, including normal group, model group and treatment group, with 20 rats in each group.Rats of model group and treatment group are given 6% (V/V) alcohol solution continuously for 28 d to establish the model of chronic alcoholism.Rats in the treatment group were given butylphthalide for 14 days from the fourteenth day after giving alcohol solution.The Y type electric maze was used to test the learning and memory ability of rats, the content of H2S in the hippocampus and the activity of mitochondrial ATP enzyme were measured by spectrophotometry, and the protein expression of F-actin was detected by Western blot. Results Compared with the normal group, the learning and memory ability of the rats in the model group were decreased, the content of H2S in the hippocampus were increased, and the activity of mitochondrial ATP enzyme and the expression of F-actin protein were decreased, and most of the mitochondria were damaged under the electron microscope.The training times of the rats in treatment group(61.88±3.61)was lower than that of the model group(82.19±4.87), the ability of learning and memory was improved(P<0.05). Compared with the model group ((1.50±0.07)U/mgprot, (0.08±0.01)), the activity of the mitochondrial ATP enzyme((1.84±0.11)U/mgprot) and the level of F-actin protein(0.12±0.01)in rat hippocampus of treatment group were increased, the difference was statistically significant(both P<0.05). The level of H2S in rat hippocampus of the treatment group ((34.56±2.47) nmol/g) was lower than that of the model group ((44.55±3.71) nmol/g), the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). Compared with model group, the mitochondrial damage of the hippocampus in the treatment group was improved under electron microscope. Conclusion NBP can abate mitochondrial damage and improve learning and memory abilities in chronic alcoholism rats. Key words: N-butylphthalide; Chronic alcoholism rats; H2S; Mitochondria; F-actin