Nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, aminoguanidine reduces intracerebroventricular colchicine induced neurodegeneration, memory impairments and changes of systemic immune responses in rats

•iNOS is linked with neurodegeneration in colchicine injected (i.c.v.) rats (ICIR).•Treatment with aminoguanidine resulted in fewer plaques in hippocampus of ICIR.•Inhibition of iNOS reduces the nitrite level in hippocampus.•Aminoguanidine has neuroimmunomodulatory role on colchicine induced neurodegeneration.•First report on the role of iNOS on neurotoxicity and memory impairment in ICIR

Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of colchicine induces neurodegeneration, memory impairments and changes of some systemic immune responses in rats. Though the role of cox 2 in these colchicine induced changes have been evaluated, the influence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) remains to be studied. The present study was designed to assess the role of NOS on the i.c.v. colchicine induced neurodegeneration, memory impairments and changes of some systemic immune responses by inhibiting its activity with aminoguanidine. In the present study the impairments of working and reference memories, neurodegeneration (chromatolysis and plaque formation) and changes of neuroinflammatory markers in the hippocampus (increased TNF α, IL 1β, ROS and nitrite) along with changes of serum inflammatory markers (TNF α, IL 1β, ROS and nitrite) and alteration of systemic immune responses (higher phagocytic activity of blood WBC and splenic PMN, higher cytotoxicity and lower leukocyte adhesion inhibition index of splenic MNC) were measured in the intracerebroventricular colchicine injected rats (ICIR). Administration of aminoguanidine (p.o. 30/50 mg/kg body weight) to ICIR resulted in recovery of neuroinflammation and partial prevention of neurodegeneration which could be corroborated with the partial recovery of memory impairments in this model. The recovery of serum inflammatory markers and the systemic immune responses in ICIR was also observed after administration of aminoguanidine. Therefore, the present study shows that aminoguanidine can protect the colchicine induced neurodegeneration, memory impairments, and changes of systemic immune systemic responses in ICIR by inhibiting the iNOS.