The effect of vitamin d on memory of adult and aged ovariectomized rats

Abstract

Postmenopausal women and the elderly can have their quality of life and autonomy reduced by low vitamin D levels, given the numerous metabolic changes caused by this deficiency. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of vitamin D or association on the memory of adult and aged female ovariectomized rats. The vitamin D (42 or 420 UI/kg), donepezil, or association treatment was administered for 21 days in three different experimental protocols to mimic menopause. Finally, the rats were subjected to the y-maze test to evaluate their short-term memory. The results showed that vitamin D 42, vitamin D 420, or association with vitamin D 420 plus donepezil treatment could reverse the cognitive damage caused by ovariectomy (OVX) for one month in 60 days-old rats. The vitamin D 42 plus donepezil association protected against the memory damage induced by eight months of OVX in 60 days old rats. One hundred twenty days-old rats ovariectomized for one month induced short-term spatial memory damage. The vitamin D 420 plus donepezil association administration reversed this cognitive impairment. In conclusion, the later the OVX occurs, the greater the damage and the lesser the therapeutic capacity of vitamin D.