Protective efficacy of L-carnitine on acetylcholinesterase activity in aged rat brain

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the activity of acetylcholinesterase in various regions of young and aged rat brain before and after L-carnitine supplementation. Two groups of male albino rats were used for this study (4 and 24 months of age). L-carnitine was administered intraperitoneally 300 mg/kg/d using physiological saline as a vehicle for 7, 14, and 21 days. The activity of acetylcholinesterase was measured in the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus, the striatum and the cerebellum. Highly significant variation was observed in a duration dependent manner in the hippocampus, the striatum, and the cortex of aged rats after L-carnitine supplementation when compared with young controls. Our results indicate that treatment of aged rats with L-carnitine restored the level of acetylcholinesterase.