Effect of valproic acid on astrocyte and neurotrophic factors in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice

Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the effect of valproic acid sodium salt（VPA） on astrocyte and neurotrophic factors in the brain of APP/PS1 double transgenic mice. Methods：Alzheimer’s disease（AD） model was established with APP/PS1 double transgenic mice. Twenty-four mice（3-month-old） were randomly divided into a VPA group and a control group. The mice of VPA group and control group were intra peritoneally injected with VPA 30 mg/（kg·d） and the same amount of normal saline for 4 weeks. Immunohistochemistry staining was applied to detect the number of astrocytes，while Western blot was used to observe the expression of brain-derived neu－rotrophic factor（BDNF） and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor（GDNF）. Results：Compared with those of control group，the number of positive cells of the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein（GFAP） in the cortex and hippocampus of VPA treatment mice was significantly reduced（t=5.476，8.793，P<0.001） and the expression levels of BDNF and GDNF were significantly increased（t=4.303，P=0.001；t=2.376，P=0.032）. Conclusion：VPA can inhibit the proliferation of astrocytes，enhance the expression of neu－rotrophic factors.