Our previous study demonstrated that 2-phenylethynyl-butyltellurium (PEBT), an organotellurium compound, enhances memory in mice. In this study, the effects of PEBT on cognitive impairment induced by Aβ25-35 were assessed by Morris water maze and step-down inhibitory avoidance tasks. Mice received a single intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ25-35 (3 nmol/3 μl/per site) and a daily oral administration of PEBT (1 mg/kg, for 10 days). PEBT significantly improved Aβ-induced learning deficits on the training session in the Morris water maze. At the probe trial session, PEBT significantly decreased the escape latency and increased the number of crossings in the platform local compared with the Aβ-treated group. PEBT significantly improved Aβ-induced memory impairment in the step-down inhibitory avoidance task. General locomotor activity was similar in all groups. This study showed that PEBT ameliorated the impairments of spatial and nonspatial long-term memory evaluated on Morris water maze and step-down inhibitory avoidance tasks, respectively. The results suggest that PEBT could be considered a candidate for the prevention of memory deficits such as those observed in Alzheimer's disease.
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