Vitamin C attenuates the physiological and behavioural changes induced by long-term exposure to noise

Abstract

Persistent, high-intensity noise is an environmental pollutant that plays a destructive role in daily life, especially in industrialized communities. Its effects may be reduced by Vitamin C supplementation. This study examined the possibility that pretreatment with vitamin C (100 mg or 200 mg/kg) could attenuate behavioural and anxiogenic effects of prolonged exposure to noise (100 dB for 2 months, 5 days/week, 4 h daily) on male laboratory mice, by using open-field and plus maze tests of emotionality, and by measuring the neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio, a physiological stress measure. The effects seen on behaviour in the open field and plus maze were consistent with the hypothesis that noise could be considered as a stressor as it significantly affected six measures of behaviour in the predicted directions. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was also increased as a result of noise exposure. Furthermore, there was good evidence from all three procedures that vitamin C supplementation can attenuate the effects of noise. We conclude that vitamin C supplementation can attenuate or prevent the psychological and physiological damage induced by prolonged noise exposure in mice.