NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF 17¦Â-ESTRADIOL IN A RAT MODEL OF NEONATAL X RADIATION.

CACERES, L. G.; A¨®N, L.; SARACENO, E.; CAPANI, F; GUELMAN, L. R.

Tandil

Congreso; SAFE; 2008

NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF 17¦Â-ESTRADIOL IN A RAT MODEL OF NEONATAL X RADIATION. Caceres, L. G.1; A¨®n, L.2; Saraceno, E.2; Capani, F.2; Guelman, L. R.1 Facultad de Medicina, UBA-CEFyBO-CONICET, 2 Facultad de Medicina, UBA- Depto. Bioqu¨ªmica Humana. Paraguay 2155, Buenos ires, Argentina. E-mail: lugcaceres@gmail.com Developing Central Nervous System (CNS) is vulnerable to radiation-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). The consequent oxidative stress has been shown to produce changes at behavioral, biochemical and histological levels in cerebellum (CE) and hippocampus (HIP). The aim of the present work was to test if 17¦Â-estradiol, a potential neuroprotector, was able to counteract these changes. Neonatal male Wistar rats were X-irradiated (5 Gy) in their cephalic ends up to 48hs of postnatal life and a group of this animals was treated with 17¦Â-estradiol (5¦Ìg/g). Open field (OF) test and ROS levels, as well as a histological assessment, were performed at 30 postnatal days. Administration of 17¦Â-estradiol improved the short-term habituation and decreased the time spent in the centre in the OF. ROS levels returned to control in HIP and the cytoarchitecture of CE was reconstituted. These results suggest that 17¦Â-estradiol was able to counteract the effects of X-rays at behavioral, biochemical and histological levels, probably acting through an antioxidant mechanism.