Hippocampal cell alterations induced by the inhalation of vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) promote memory deterioration

Spatial memory may be severely impaired as a consequence of ageing and neurodegenerative diseases, conditions that include neuronal damage. Vanadium (V) is a metalloid widely distributed in the environment and exerts severe toxic effects on a wide variety of biological systems. Reports about V inhalation toxicity on the CNS are limited, thus the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Vanadium pentoxide (V(2)O(5)) inhalation (0.02M) on the memory and its correlation with the cytology of the hippocampus CA1. Forty eight CD-1 male mice were trained in spatial memory tasks and inhaled 1h twice a week; after each inhalation animals were evaluated and sacrificed from 1 to 4 weeks, perfused and processed for Golgi method and for ultrastructure evaluation. The cytological analysis consisted in counting the number of dendritic spines of 20 pyramidal neurons of hippocampus CA1, as well as ultrastructural characteristics. Results show that V inhalation produces a time dependent loss of dendritic spines, necrotic-like cell death, and notorious alterations of the hippocampus CA1 neuropile, which correlate with spatial memory impairment. Our data suggest that V induces important cellular and functional alterations, fact that deserves special attention since the concentration's trend of this element in the atmosphere is increasing.