ABSTRACT:

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cholesterol on frequent exposure of anesthesia-induced cognitive impairment in wistar rats. Methods:  Healthy wistar rats were divided in two groups, the gp I rats fed with regular diet and gp II with cholesterol diet. These groups were further divided into sub-groups as gp Ia (n=8) and gp IIa (n=8). These sub-groups received weekly exposure of anesthesia for 6 weeks. Animals were anesthetized by subcutaneous sodium thiopental injection. Cortical nerve growth factor levels were measured by indirect sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while total protein was determined by Bradford protein assay.  Results: Group IIa (cholesterol-fed animals) as well as Group IIb (cholesterol-fed followed by anesthesia) showed significant increase in body weight (25 to 50 g, p < 0.03), but no such increase was observed in other groups. However, group Ib showed a significant (43.07 %, p ˂ 0.001) decrease in the level of nerve growth factor when compared with group Ia. Moreover, significantly decreased cytokines IL-1β levels (59.09 %, p < 0.005) and TNF-α (20 %, p < 0.025) of group IIa more effectively than in group Ia rats. Microglial marker showed significantly increase (16.66 %, p < 0.025) in cholesterol diet group. Overall increase in leakage of anti-rat IgG (blood brain barrier marker) was found in both groups (IIa and IIb). Conclusion: The results suggest that dietary cholesterol protects or neutralizes anesthesia-induced cognitive deficits in rats.   Keywords: Cognitive deficit, Cholesterol diet, Blood-brain barrier, Nerve growth factor, Inflammation marker, Microglial marker, Cytokines