Abstract
The central nervous system is particularly vulnerable to oxidative damages and it has been suggested that oxidative stresses might play an important role in the pathogenesis of some of congenital neurological disorders. We verified effects of antioxidant medications in fetal stage and newborn period, on congenital neurological disorders, using cultured cells and model mice. We used vitamin E, (α- and γ-tocopherols or α- and γ-tocotrienols) as antioxidants. It is reported that tocopherol and tocotrienol can be delivered from pregnant rats to their fetal brain via their placenta. Vitamin E had a protective effect against methylmercury neurotoxicity in the analysis of the cell viability and migration of cerebellar granule cells. Chronic supplementation of α-tocopherol from the embryonic stage in Ts65Dn mice, a model mouse of Down syndrome, improved both hypocellularity in the hippocampus and impaired spatial learning. These results imply the potential benefit of vitamin E treatment to congenital neurological disorders.
