Comparative study of protective effects of Cortexin, Cerebrolysin and Actovegin on memory impairment, cerebral circulation and morphological changes in the hippocampus of rats with chronic brain ischemia

Abstract

To compare the effects of cortexin, cerebrolysin and actovegin on memory impairment, cerebral circulation and morphological changes in the hippocampus of rats with chronic brain ischemia. The study was conducted using male rats with chronic brain ischemia caused by stenosis of the common carotid arteries by 50%. Animals received cortexin (0,3; 1 or 3 mg/kg), cerebrolysin (0,8; 2,5 or 7,5 ml/kg) and actovegin (5 ml/kg) in two 10-day courses with 10 days of treatment break. The severity of cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Morris water maze, passive and active avoidance tests. Cerebral circulation using laser flowmetry and brain hippocampus structures were studied in the end of treatment. Cognitive impairment in animals with chronic brain ischemia was accompanied by the development of pathological changes in the CA1 and CA4 regions of the hippocampus. Administration of cortexin (1 and 3 mg/kg) and cerebrolysin (2.5 and 7.5 ml/kg) to rats with chronic brain ischemia had almost no effect on cerebral blood flow, but contributed to the improvement in memory formation and retrieval processes in the Morris water maze. The treatment effect was comparable for both drugs and persisted after 10 days of treatment break. Morphological assessment showed a decrease in the severity of pathological changes in the hippocampal regions. The course-administration of cortexin and cerebrolysin lead to a decrease in the severity of memory impairment and pathomorphological changes in the hippocampus in rats with chronic brain ischemia.