BACKGROUND Bisphenol A (BPA), a major endocrine disruptor and a xenobiotic compound is used abundantly in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Human exposure to this compound is primarily via its leaching from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of containers into the food and beverages. In addition, the plastics used in dental prostheses and sealants also contain considerable amount of BPA and have a high risk of human exposure. Since it is a well-known endocrine disruptor and closely mimics the molecular structure of human estrogen thereby impairing learning and memory. Withania somnifera (Ws), commonly known as Ashwagandha is known for its varied therapeutic uses in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The present study was undertaken to demonstrate the impairment induced by BPA on the spatial learning, working memory and its alleviation by Ws in Swiss albino mice. The study was conducted on thirty Swiss albino mice, randomly distributed among three groups: control, BPA and BPA + Ws. The behavioral recovery after treatment with Ws was investigated using the Y-maize and Morris water maize test. Whereas, for the estimation of recovery of NMDA receptor which is related to learning and memory in hippocampus region by western blot and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the oxidative stress and antioxidant level was assessed by biochemical tests like MDA, SOD and catalase. RESULTS The study revealed that administration of Ws alleviated the behavioral deficits induced by BPA. Alongside, Ws treatment reinstated the number of NMDA receptors in hippocampus region and showed anti-oxidative property while ameliorating the endogenous anti-oxidant level in the brain. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that Ws significantly ameliorates the level of BPA intoxicated oxidative stress thereby potentially treating cognitive dysfunction which acts as the primary symptom in a number of neurodegenerative diseases.

中文翻译：

---

睡茄（Withania somnifera）对BPA引起的小鼠认知功能障碍和氧化应激的神经保护作用。

背景技术双酚A（BPA），一种主要的内分泌干扰物和异种生物化合物，在聚碳酸酯塑料和环氧树脂的生产中被大量使用。人类对该化合物的暴露主要是通过其从容器的内部保护性环氧树脂涂料中浸出到食品和饮料中的。此外，用于牙修复体和密封剂的塑料还含有大量的BPA，并且有很高的人体暴露风险。由于它是众所周知的内分泌干扰物，并且紧密模仿人类雌激素的分子结构，因此会损害学习和记忆能力。Withania somnifera（Ws），通常称为阿什瓦甘达（Ashwagandha），以其在印度草药医学系统中的多种治疗用途而闻名。本研究旨在证明BPA对空间学习的损害，Ws对瑞士白化病小鼠的工作记忆及其缓解作用。这项研究是对30只瑞士白化病小鼠进行的，这些小鼠随机分为三组：对照组，BPA和BPA + Ws。使用Y-玉米和Morris水玉米试验研究了用Ws处理后的行为恢复。而通过蛋白质印迹和免疫组化方法来估计与海马区学习和记忆有关的NMDA受体的恢复。此外，通过生化测试（如MDA，SOD和过氧化氢酶）评估了氧化应激和抗氧化剂水平。结果研究表明，服用Ws可减轻BPA引起的行为缺陷。旁边 Ws处理恢复了海马区NMDA受体的数量，并显示出抗氧化特性，同时改善了大脑中的内源性抗氧化剂水平。结论这些发现表明Ws可以显着改善BPA中毒的氧化应激水平，从而有可能治疗认知功能障碍，这是许多神经退行性疾病的主要症状。