The Evaluation Effect of Obestatin on Improvmnt of Learning and Memory and Necrosis Cell Death on Hippocampus Following Brain Ischemia Reperfusion

Obastatin is a newly discovered peptide with antioxidant activities in various animal models. Recent studies have shown that obastatin prevents apoptosis after ischemic heart disease/ reperfusion.Brain ischemia reperfusion can cause irreversible damage especially in the area of the hippocampus. The purpose of this study was evaluation the effect of obestatin on cognitive function and neuronal cell death following brain ischemia-reperfusion in male rats.

On 28 wistar male rats, Ischemia caused by obstruction of both normal carotid arteries for 20 minutes and abestatin 1 and 5 μg/kg injected Intraperitoneally at the beginning of the reperfusion period and 24 and 48 hours after re-administration. Spatial memory test was evaluated by Morris water maze then the brains were removed for Nissl staining to assess necrosis neuronal death within the hippocampal CA1 area.

Based on the results of this study behavioral tests shows that obestatin treatment could significantly improve spatial memory deficits and learning (P<0.05) versus the ischemia group. Moreover, obestatin could significantly reduce necrosis cell death (P<0.01) in CA1 area of hippocampus

The findings showed that treatment with obestatin significantly ameliorated hippocampal injury and spatial learning and memory impairments after brain ischemic. These protective effects of obestatin appear to be mediated by many mechanisms such as necrosis and apoptosis cell death by suppression of free radicals formation.