Melatonin improves presynaptic protein, SNAP-25, expression and dendritic spine density and enhances functional and electrophysiological recovery following transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Abstract: Synapto-dendritic dysfunction and rearrangement takes place over time at the peri-infarct brain after stroke, and the event plays an important role in post-stroke functional recovery. Here, we evaluated whether melatonin would modulate the synapto-dendritic plasticity after stroke. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with melatonin (5 mg/kg) or vehicle at reperfusion onset after transient occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (tMCAO) for 90 min. Local cerebral blood perfusion, somatosensory electrophysiological recordings and neurobehavioral tests were serially measured. Animals were sacrificed at 7 days after tMCAO. The brain was processed for Nissl-stained histology, Golgi[ndash]Cox-impregnated sections, or Western blotting for presynaptic proteins, synaptosomal…

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