Study the Effect of Crocin on Avoidance Memory and Motor Activity Impairment Induced by Doxorubicin Administration in Adult Male Rats

Abstract Background: A lot of studies indicate that cancer chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin results in memory impairment. On the other hand, crocin as the chemical constituent isolated from the Saffron is effective on memory and motor enhancement. So, in this work, we have studied the co-administration effect of crocin and doxorubicin on avoidance memory and motor activity in adult male rat. Material and Methods: In this study, 50 male rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham, doxorubicin, crocin and treated rats with coadministration of doxorubicin and crocin. In crocin group, crocin injected 30mg/kg for 21 days and each rat in the chemotherapy group was treated once a week for 3 weeks with doxorubicin (5mg/kg). Treatment group, received doxorubicin and crocin at the same time. Sham groups administrated with saline. All drugs were injected intraperitoneally. After these procure passive avoidance memory, balance and exploratory behaviors were assessed respectively by shuttle box, rotarod and open field instruments. Results: Memory in rats which have consumed doxorubicin significantly was decreased compared to other groups (p<0.001). Crocin treatment improved memory impairment following doxorubicin injection (p<0.001). Motor activity in open field and rotarod tests in treatment group showed significantly increased compared to doxorubicin group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Crocin consumption beside of anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin has protective effect on the bad effects of chemotherapy drugs on memory and movement