Impact of Buprenorphine on Learning and Memory Ability Related to the Acetylcholinesterase Change in the Hippocampus of Rats

Abstract

Buprenorphine (BUP), a “synthetic opioid”, may cause memory impairment. This investigation aimed to study the impact of BUP on memory function related to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity inhibition in male rats. 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups; control (C) and two treatment groups BUP (0.3 and 1) (n=8, for each group). BUP (0.3 and 1 mg/kg) was administrated subcutaneously once a day for 30 days. Normal saline 0.9% was injected in to control groups. In the end, animals were anesthetized and decapitated, and their hippocampus was dissected to assess AChE activity. There were no significant differences between the activities of AChE in the hippocampus in BUP-treated animals compared with controls. Besides, the activities of AChE in the BUP 0.3 group and BUP 1 group did not indicate a significant difference. These findings did not confirm the effect of BUP at doses of 0.3 and 1 mg/kg on memory function associated with the AChE activity inhibition.