Chronic sodium azide treatment decreases membrane-bound protein kinase C activity in the rat hippocampus

Chronic administration of sodium azide in rats inhibits cytochrome oxidase and produces learning and memory deficits. The present experiment tested the hypothesis that chronic sodium azide treatment might also alter protein kinase C activation. Continuous infusion of sodium azide (400 micrograms/h, sc) in rats for 2 weeks significantly decreases membrane-bound protein kinase C in hippocampus, but not frontal cortex, temporal cortex, or cerebellum. Since protein kinase C activation is correlated with hippocampus-dependent learning, these results suggest a possible biochemical mechanism for azide-induced impairment of learning.