Effect of copper oxide nanoparticles on gene expression of NMDA receptor

Introduction. Copper plays an important role in the metabolism of the brain, but particles of copper, in the nanometer range, exhibit neurotoxic properties and cause malfunctioning of brain cells. Material and methods. For 6 weeks, 3 times a week, the animals were injected with a suspension of NPs of copper oxide. The determination of the expression of the genes GRIN1, GRIN2a, and GRIN2b, encoding the proteins GluN1, GluN2a, and GluN2b, respectively, was carried out by real-time PCR with probes. Results. A statistically significant decrease in the expression level of genes encoding NMDA receptor proteins was determined when exposed to 0.5 mg/ml CuO nanoparticles (ΔCt(GRIN1) = 0.813; ΔCt(GRIN2A) = 3.477; ΔCt(GRIN2B) = 1.37) in comparison with control group (ΔCt(GRIN1) = 6.301; ΔCt(GRIN2A) = 7.823; ΔCt(GRIN2B) = 4.747). Conclusion. Evaluation of gene expression of the NMDA receptor may be present in a genetic marker to determine the toxic effect of copper oxide nanoparticles; however, further studies are needed, including behavioral tests to confirm the clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative disorders.