Effects of thyroxine and donepezil on hippocampal acetylcholine content, acetylcholinesterase activity, synaptotagmin-1 and SNAP-25 expression in hypothyroid adult rats

A growing number of studies have revealed that neurocognitive impairment, induced by adult-onset hypothyroidism, may not be fully restored by traditional hormone substitution therapies, including thyroxine (T4). The present study has investigated the effect of T4 and donepezil (DON; an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor) treatment on the hypothyroidism-induced alterations of acetylcholine (ACh) content and AChE activity. Furthermore, we examined synaptotagmin-1 (syt-1) and SNAP-25 expression in the hippocampus of adult rats. Adding 0.05% propylthiouracil to their drinking water for five weeks induced hypothyroidism in the rat models. From the fourth week, the rats were treated with T4, DON or a combination of both. Concentration of ACh and the activity of AChE was determined colorimetrically. The results demonstrated that hypothyroidism induced a significant decrease of Ach content and AChE activity (by 17 and 34%, respectively), which were restored to control values by T4 administration. DON treatment also restored Ach to the normal level. Protein levels of syt-1 and SNAP-25 were determined by immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated that syt-1 was expressed at significantly lower levels in hypothyroid rats, while SNAP-25 levels were notably higher compared with the controls. Two-week treatment with T4 alone failed to normalize the expression levels of these two proteins, while co-administration of T4 and DON was able to induce this effect. These data suggested that the thyroid hormone, T4, may have a direct effect on the metabolism of hippocampal ACh in adult rats, and that the DON treatment may facilitate the recovery of synaptic protein impairments induced by hypothyroidism.