Effect of intranasal administration of caffeine on mPFC ischemia‑induced cognitive impairment in BALB/c mice

Abstract

Caffeine is a psychoactive compound used widely to enhance cognitive functions in human or animal studies. The present study examined the effects of caffeine on cognitive performance and inflammatory factors in mice with medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ischemia. Mice underwent a photothrombotic mPFC ischemic stroke and were treated with normal saline or caffeine at different doses intranasally for 7 days. The sham surgery animals received normal saline intranasally. The Morris water maze test and social interaction test were performed to assess spatial and social memories, respectively. In addition, the levels of inflammatory proteins, including tumor necrosis factor‑alpha, interleukin‑6, and interleukin‑10, were measured in the mPFC using immunoblotting. The results showed that mPFC ischemia impaired spatial memory and social behaviors, and caffeine at doses of 0.05 and 0.1 mg improved behavioral outcomes in the ischemic groups. Also, caffeine reversed ischemia‑induced high levels of pro‑inflammatory biomarkers and enhanced the expression of the anti‑inflammatory mediator. Our findings indicate that caffeine alleviated mPFC ischemia‑induced memory disturbances, probably through the modulation of the inflammatory mediators.