Lycopene ameliorates atrazine-induced spatial learning and memory impairments by inhibiting ferroptosis in the hippocampus of mice

Shi-Yong Zhu; Jun-Ze Jiang; Jia Lin; Lin Liu; Jian-Ying Guo; Jin-Long Li

doi:10.1016/j.fct.2023.113655

Lycopene ameliorates atrazine-induced spatial learning and memory impairments by inhibiting ferroptosis in the hippocampus of mice

Food Chem Toxicol. 2023 Apr:174:113655. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113655. Epub 2023 Feb 13.

Authors

Shi-Yong Zhu¹, Jun-Ze Jiang¹, Jia Lin², Lin Liu¹, Jian-Ying Guo¹, Jin-Long Li³

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China.
² College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Animal Nutrition and Feed Safety, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, 430023, PR China.
³ College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China; Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China; Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, PR China. Electronic address: Jinlongli@neau.edu.cn.

PMID: 36791905
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113655

Abstract

Atrazine (ATR) is a commercially available herbicide that is used worldwide. The intensive use of ATR poses potential risks to animals' and humans' health. Lycopene (LYC) is an anti-oxidative phytochemical that normalizes health hazards triggered by environmental factors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the toxic effects of ATR on the hippocampus and its amelioration by LYC. Male mice were exposed to ATR (50 mg/kg/day or 200 mg/kg/d) and/or LYC (5 mg/kg/d) for 21 days. The results showed that ATR exposure induced hippocampus-dependent learning and memory impairments. ATR-induced ferroptosis in hippocampal cells affects the homeostasis of lipid metabolism, whereas LYC ameliorates the neurotoxic effects of ATR in the hippocampus. LYC inhibited ATR-induced ferroptosis by increasing the expression of HO-1, Nrf2 and SLC7A11. Therefore, this study established that LYC ameliorates ATR-induced spatial learning and memory impairments by inhibiting ferroptosis in the hippocampus and also provides a novel approach for the treatment in contradiction of environmental pollutants.

Keywords: Atrazine; Chemopreventive potential; Ferroptosis; Hippocampus; Lycopene; Spatial learning and memory impairments.

MeSH terms

Animals
Atrazine* / toxicity
Ferroptosis*
Hippocampus
Humans
Lycopene / pharmacology
Male
Memory Disorders / metabolism
Mice
Oxidative Stress
Spatial Learning

Substances

Lycopene
Atrazine