Vitamin D Improves Dementia Induced by Scopolamine in Mice: Histological Study

Abstract

In Dementia, there is a deterioration in cognitive ability, which affect memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone; its deficiency may play an aggressive role in neurodegeneration disorders. Scopolamine is a muscarinic receptor antagonist that induces memory impairment and oxidative stress. The aim of the work is to determine the histological effect of vitamin D on dementia induced by scopolamine in albino mice. Male albino mice were divided into eight groups of six each. Group 1: Administered T80(1%) for one week, Group 2: Administered scopolamine for one week, Group 3: Administered Vitamin D for one week, Group 4: Administered scopolamine plus Vitamin D for one week (prophylactic effect), Group 5: Administered scopolamine for one week, followed by vitamin D administration for another one week (treatment). Group 6: Administered scopolamine for one week, followed by no treatment for another week, Group 7: Administered donepezil as standard to evaluate learning and memory, Group 8: Administered scopolamine plus Donepezil for one week. Drugs were administered by intraperitoneal route, at the volume of 5ml/kg body weight. All drugs were freshly prepared. The transfer latency was measured using plus maze; mice were killed by neck dislocation; the brains were immediately removed, inserted in 10% formalin, and sent to the histology department, for histological study. Vitamin D repairs the histological damage induced by scopolamine; the improvement induced by vitamin D was much better when given with scopolamine as prophylaxis, more than when it is given after dementia is established as treatment. The model of dementia induced by scopolamine is a reversible model.