Arginine administration inhibits hippocampal Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity and impairs retention of an inhibitory avoidance task in rats

Brain Res. 2002 Oct 4;951(2):151-7. doi: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)03077-9.

Abstract

In the present study we investigated the effect of acute administration of L-arginine (Arg) on hippocampal Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity and on retrieval of step-down inhibitory avoidance in adult rats. The action of L-NAME on the effects produced by Arg was also tested. Sixty-day-old rats were treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of saline (group I, control), arginine (0.8 g/kg) (group II), L-NAME (2 mg/kg) (group III) or arginine (0.8 g/kg) plus L-NAME (2 mg/kg) (group IV). Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity was significantly reduced in arginine-treated rats; this effect was prevented by L-NAME. Retrieval of the avoidance task was also significantly impaired by arginine, whereas the simultaneous injection of L-NAME prevented this effect. Present data strongly indicate that in vivo Arg administration reduces both Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity and memory modulation in rats probably through NO formation.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arginine / pharmacology*
  • Avoidance Learning / drug effects*
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Habituation, Psychophysiologic / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / enzymology*
  • Male
  • Memory / drug effects*
  • NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / pharmacology
  • Nitric Oxide / physiology
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I
  • Rats
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Synaptic Membranes / drug effects
  • Synaptic Membranes / enzymology

Substances

  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Arginine
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I
  • Nos1 protein, rat
  • Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase
  • NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester