Omega-3 fatty acids prevent nicotine withdrawal-induced exacerbation of anxiety and depression by affecting oxidative stress balance, inflammatory response, BDNF and serotonin metabolism in rats.

Adolescents are known to be more vulnerable than adults to the adverse effects of nicotine dependence. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether adolescent nicotine exposure, followed by a period of abstinence, could affect the anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in rats. For this purpose, behavioral assessments were carried out using open field test, elevated plus maze and forced swimming test in male rats received chronic nicotine intake during adolescence followed by a period of abstinence in adulthood, compared to their control counterparts. In addition, O3 pre-treatment was done at three different doses to reveal whether it could prevent nicotine withdrawal effects. Then, animals were euthanized and the cortical concentrations of oxidative stress markers, inflammatory indices, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, serotonin and the enzymatic activity of monoamine oxidase-A were measured. Results indicated that nicotine withdrawal exacerbates the behavioral signs of anxiety through alteration of the brain oxidative stress balance, inflammatory response and serotonin metabolism. Moreover, we found that omega 3 pre-treatment significantly prevents the nicotine withdrawal-induced complications by restoration of changes in the mentioned biochemical indices. Moreover, the improving effects of O3 fatty acids were found to be dose-dependent in all experiments. Taken together, we would like to suggest the O3 fatty acids supplementation as a safe, inexpensive and effective strategy for prevention or amelioration of detrimental effects induced by nicotine withdrawal at cellular and behavioral levels.

Vitamin B12 administration prevents ethanol-induced learning and memory impairment through re-establishment of the brain oxidant/antioxidant balance, enhancement of BDNF and suppression of GFAP.

There are growing evidence indicating that the adolescent brain is persistently affected by the use of psychostimulant agents. In this regard, alcohol drinking has become rather common among the adolescents in many societies during the last decade. It is currently well known that long-term ethanol exposure deteriorates various cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Mechanistically, these adverse effects have been shown to be mediated by oxidative damage to central nervous system. On the other hand, Vit-B12 is known to improve cognitive performance by suppression of oxidative parameters. Thus, in the present study we aimed to test whether treatment by Vit-B12 could prevent ethanol-induced complications in mice using behavioral and biochemical methods. Different groups of male Syrian mice received ethanol, ethanol+Vit-B12, Vit-B12 alone, or saline during adolescence and then learning and memory functions were assessed by Morris water maze (MWM) and Passive Avoidance (PA) tests. Finally, mice were sacrificed for measurement of biochemical factors. Results indicated that, adolescent ethanol intake impairs learning and memory function through exacerbation of oxidative stress and Vit-B12 treatment improves these complications by re-establishment of oxidant/anti-oxidant balance in CNS. Moreover, we found that Vit-B12 prevents ethanol-induced reduction of BDNF and enhancement of GFAP and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. In conclusion, it seems that Vit-B12 supplementation could be used as an effective therapeutic strategy to prevent learning and memory defects induced by chronic alcohol intake during adolescence.