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Strokes are preceded by oxidative stress and inflammation, two processes linked to atherosclerosis and hypertension. Statins have been widely employed to control atherosclerosis; however, there could be neurological implications to its use—including cognitive impairment. Thus,we aimed to determine whether alpha-tocopherol is capable of reversing the neurological side effects of statins and enhancing its anti-inflammatory properties. To assess these effects, 15-week-old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) were divided into four groups (n = 6, each): alpha-tocopherol (AT), lovastatin (LoV), alpha-tocopherol + lovastatin (AT + LoV), and control (C).We administered 120 IU of alpha-tocopherol diluted in 0.1 ml of coconut oil,whereas the dose of lovastatin was administered at a ratio of 1 mg/kg of rat body weight. The control group received 0.1 ml coconut oil. All animals received the treatments via orogastric gavage.We assessed body weight, diuresis, food and water intake, oxidative stress (malondialdehyde levels), the total cellular injury marker (lactate dehydrogenase), short and long-term memory, cognition, and histopathological changes in the hippocampus. The results demonstrated that lovastatin treatment did not negatively affect the memory of our animal model. In fact, the animals treated with AT and LoV showed improvement in memory and cognition. Additionally, both treatments decrease lactate dehydrogenase and oxidative stress levels. Furthermore, our study also demonstrated hippocampal tissue preservation in the treated groups.

Oxidative stress has an important role in neuronal damage during cerebral ischemia and can lead to cognitive and behavioral impairment. Alpha-tocopherol, a powerful antioxidant, may be able to preserve neuronal tissue and circumvent neurological deficits. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of alpha-tocopherol in the preservation of brain tissue and the maintenance of memory formation in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). To achieve this aim, twenty-four 15-week-old male SHRSP rats were separated into the following four groups (n = 6 each) that received different treatments over a 4-week period: the alpha-tocopherol group, the control group, the L-NAME group, and the L-NAME + alpha-tocopherol group. We evaluated the physiological parameters (body weight, diuresis, and food and water intake), an oxidative stress marker (malondialdehyde levels), and neurological responses (the Morris Water Maze and Novel Objects Recognition tests). Afterwards, the brains were removed for histopathological analysis and quantification of the number of cells in the hippocampus. Statistically, the alpha-tocopherol group demonstrated better results when compared to all groups. The data indicated a reduction in oxidative stress and the preservation of neurological responses in groups treated with alpha-tocopherol. In contrast, the L-NAME group exhibited increased malondialdehyde levels, impairment of neurological responses, and several hippocampus tissue injuries. The others groups exhibited nerve tissue changes that were restricted to the glial nodes. No significant alterations were observed in the physiologic parameters. Based on these findings, we suggest that alpha-tocopherol can prevent stroke, preserve the structure of the hippocampus, and maintain both memory and cognition functions.

The spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat (SHRSP) is a recognized animal model for the study of severe hypertension and stroke, being characterized by presenting an elevated tissue levels of free radicals. Therefore, this study has the main goal to identify the effect of B vitamins, closely associated to the control of oxidative stress, on SHRSP rats. After 10 days (baseline period), the animals, 18 SHRSP rats at 18 weeks of age, were divided into three groups with six rats treated with riboflavin (B2), six treated with pyridoxine (B6) plus folic acid (B9), and control. Body weight, water and food intake, diuresis, sensory-motor responses, and systolic blood pressure of all the rats were determined daily. Physical aspects of whole body (i.e., distribution and coloring of hair, skin and mucosa, and an eventual presence of bleeding, stains, cracks, or opacification) and behavior were equally monitored. The data were evaluated by ANOVA two-way and p < .05 was considered significant. The supraphysiologic doses did not cause toxic effects. There was a significant decrease of systolic blood pressure, homocysteine, and malondialdehyde (MDA) blood levels in animals under B vitamin supplementation. The treatment also inhibited the neurological signs of an ischemic attack (unbalance, ataxia, and convulsions). The findings reported here suggest that B vitamin therapy was effective for the control of systolic blood pressure and oxidative stress. Hence, it could be thought as one of the alternative therapies to prevent the occurrence of stroke.

Introduction: Antioxidants has been utilized to prevent oxidative damage in diabetes and hypertensive diseases. The current study evaluated the effect of alpha-tocopherol supplementation on blood pressure and the lipid profile in streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)., Methods: The systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were measured in SHR-diabetes induced., Results: Treatment with alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) led to a decrease on systolic blood pressure and showed an increase of HDL-cholesterol and a decrease of LDL-cholesterol, but the concentrations of triglycerides and total cholesterol were not changed., Conclusions: The vitamin E was able to modulate the blood pressure and the lipidic profile as well, and therefore can be considered as an alternative treatment of lipid disorder found on diabetes and hypertension diseases.