Effect of L-arginine on memory in rats

Effect of intracerebroventricularly (icv) or subcutaneously (sc) injected L-arginine (L-Arg) on memory was determined using the procedure of passive avoidance test. Moreover, locomotor and exploratory activity was determined in rats in an open field test. We found that either the peripheral (sc) or icv administration of L-Arg significantly prolonged latency time in the passive avoidance test. This effect appeared at 20-100-fold higher doses in comparison to such effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) observed in our previous study. This memory improving effect was not correlated with the inhibition of locomotor and exploratory activity. The effect of the lower icv dose (10 nmoles) of L-Arg was blocked by L-NAME, a non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor. Moreover, the effect of both used doses (10 and 100 nmoles) of L-Arg was also blocked by S-methylisothiourea (Mtu), a selective inhibitor of inducible isoform of NOS. On the other hand, the effect of higher icv dose of L-Arg (100 nmoles) was prevented by 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), an inhibitor of neuronal NOS. We conclude that a uniform effect of L-Arg on memory is mediated by different isoforms of NOS, mainly by neuronal and inducible NOS.