Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

The effects of vitamin B 12 on the brain damages caused by methamphetamine in mice.

Objectives: Methamphetamine (METH) is a powerful stimulant drug that directly affects the brain and induces neurological deficits. B12 is a water-soluble vitamin (vit) that is reported to attenuate neuronal degeneration. The goal of the present study is to investigate the effect of vitamin B12 on METH's neurodegenerative changes.

Materials and Methods: Two groups of 6 animals received METH (10 mg/kg, interaperitoneally (IP)) four times with a 2 hr interval. Thirty mins before METH administration, vit B12 (1 mg/kg) or normal saline were injected IP. Animals were sacrificed 3 days after the last administration. Caspase proteins levels were measured by Western blotting. Also, samples were examined by TUNEL assay to detect the presence of DNA fragmentation. Reduced glutathione (GSH) was also determined by the Ellman method.

Results: The pathological findings showed that vit B12 attenuates the gliosis induced by METH. Vit B12 administration also significantly decreased the apoptotic index in the striatum and the cerebral cortex ( P <0.001). It also reduced caspase markers compared to the control ( P <0.01 and P <0.001, respectively). Interestingly, co-administration of METH and Vit B12 elevates the levels of GSH in both regions of the brain and returned it to normal levels compared to the METH group.

Conclusion: The current study suggests that parenteral vit B12 at safe doses may be a promising treatment for METH-induced brain damage via inhibition of neuron apoptosis and increasing the reduced GSH level. Research focusing on the mechanisms involved in the protective responses of vit B12 can be helpful in providing a novel therapeutic agent against METH-induced neurotoxicity.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app