Abstract

Quercetin and resveratrol are found in a variety of fruits and vegetables and have several biological and pharmacological properties. In this study, the effects of quercetin 50 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (i.p.) and resveratrol (50 mg/kg, i.p.) on zinc chloride (ZnCl2; 75 mg/kg/d, 2 weeks oral gavage) and sodium metavanadate (SMV; 22.5 mg/kg/d, 2 weeks oral gavage) induced passive avoidance memory retention were investigated in step-through passive avoidance tasks. ZnCl2 was dissolved in saline and SMV was dissolved in drinking water. Mice received ZnCl2 or SMV orally for two weeks and were administered quercetin or resveratrol by i.p. injection on day 14, days 12 and 14, or days 10, 12, and 14. At the end of treatment, animals were trained for one day in a step-through passive avoidance task, then alterations in avoidance memory retention were evaluated after 24, 48, 96, and 168 h. Oral consumption of ZnCl2 and SMV decreased latency time compared with control groups. Both quercetin and resveratrol (50 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented ZnCl2- and SMV-induced avoidance memory retention impairments and did not significantly alter muscle strength, as demonstrated in rotarod tasks. No significant differences were observed between mice who received single, double, or triple doses of quercetin or resveratrol. The results suggest that quercetin and resveratrol may have preventive effects on ZnCl2- and SMV-induced memory impairment in male mice.