Abstract

Objective To observe the effects of caffeine on neuroethology and the expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the hippocampal neurons of rats. Methods Thirty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly devided into three groups including control group, low-dose group and high-dose group.The rats in control group were given a gavage of normal saline daily while the rats in low-dose group and high-dose group were given a gavage daily of 20 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg caffeine respectively for 18 days.All the rats were submitted to behavioral testing for learning and memory ability in the Morris water maze.The expression of GABA and 5-HT in the hippocampal neurons were observed by immunohistochemical staining. Results Caffeine could improve the learning and memory ability of rats in the Morris water maze, and high-dose caffeine was more efficient. The expression of GABA in high-dose group (0.214 1±0.006 6) and low-dose group(0.279 4±0.008 1) decreased compared with control group(0.355 1±0.011 7, F=172.603, P<0.05)；While that of 5-HT in high-dose group (0.551 3±0.017 8) and low-dose group (0.485 6±0.008 5) increased compared with control group (0.290 3±0.009 7, F=289.541, P<0.05). Conclusions Caffeine can dose-dependently improve the learning and memory ability of rats, which might be involved with suppressing the expression of GABA and promoting that of 5-HT in the hippocampal neurons of rats. Key words: Caffeine; Hippocampus; Gamma-aminobutyric acid; Serotonin; Learning; Memory; Rats

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