Behavioral changes in ischemic gerbils induced by exposure to nicotine and static magnetic fields

Abstract

Stroke is the most prevalent causes of world death and responsible for high disability rates. Ischemic stroke, or brain ischemia, causes neuronal death by decreasing oxygen and glucose to brain tissue. The use of rodent mammals for the investigation of ischemic events is quite common, as is the use of Mongolian Gerbils, since the absence of communicating arteries facilitates the production of brain ischemia, from the occlusion of the common carotid artery. It has already been shown in our laboratory that there is a reduction of the cell death process when the tissue lesion is exposed to a magnetic field of 1200 Gauss. In addition, a recent study showed that nicotine at dose 2 mg/kg potentiates the neuroprotective effects of non-pharmacological resources. Thus, the objective of this work is to investigate the effects of a static magnetic field of 3.200G in association with nicotine at a dose of 2 mg/kg in ischemic Gerbils. Sixty-six gerbils, weighing between 60 and 70 g, were distributed in 8 groups (n = 8), sham saline, sham nicotine, saline ischemia, nicotine ischemia, north ischemia saline, ischemia saline south pole, ischemia nicotine north pole, ischemia nicotine south pole. Nicotine injections will be given at 2mg/kg intraperitoneally in the specific groups. Stimulated animals will have the fixation of a magnetic helmet on the day of surgery for the production of brain ischemia, via occlusion of the carotid arteries. Five days after surgery, the animals will have their behavior analyzed on the activity monitor and rotarod. Behavioral data will be evaluated using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and if differences are observed between groups, these will be reported by the Holm-Sidak post hoc test.