Effect of crocin on inhibitory avoidance memory, balance and explorative behaviours following cisplatin administration in rat

Abstract

Background: A lot of studies indicate that cancer chemotherapy results in memory and motor impairment immediately following therapy. On the other side, crocin as the chemical constituent isolated from the Saffron is effective on memory and motor impairement. In this study, the effect of crocin on memory and motor impairment induced by cisplatin injection was studied in adult male rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, male Wistar rats (n=50) were divided into 5 groups: Control, Sham, Cisplatin (2 mg/kg/week for 21 days), Crocin (30 mg/kg for 21 days) and Cisplatin+Crocin. Sham group was administrated with Saline. Then, inhibitory avoidance memory, balance and exploratory behaviors were assessed by shuttle box, rotarod and open field apparatus, respectively. Results: Crocin improved memory impairment induced by cisplatin (P<0.01). Cisplatin also impaired balance in rotarod test. Rearing frequency and total distance traveled in open field test were significantly decreased (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively) compared to Control group. Conclusion: We conclude that crocin injection following the use of anticancer drugs (e.g. cisplatin) might have a protective effect against the cisplatin-induced impairement in cognitive function, balance and explorative behavior.

Keywords

• Crocin
• Cisplatin
• Passive avoidance memory
• Motor activity