M’rad, ImenJeljeli, MustaphaRihane, NaimaHilber, PascalSakly, MohsenAmara, Salem2018-06-152018-06-152018-02-141611-2156http://hdl.handle.net/2003/3691710.17877/DE290R-18916Recently, the biosafety and potential influences of nanoparticles on central nervous system have received more attention. In the present study, we assessed the effect of aluminium oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3-NPs) on spatial cognition. Male Wistar rats were intravenously administered Al2O3-NP suspension (20 mg/kg body weight/day) for four consecutive days, after which they were assessed. The results indicated that Al2O3-NPs impaired spatial learning and memory ability. An increment in malondialdehyde levels with a concomitant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity confirmed the induction of oxidative stress in the hippocampus. Additionally, our findings showed that exposure to Al2O3-NPs resulted in decreased acetylcholinesterase activity in the hippocampus. Fur- thermore, Al2O3-NPs enhanced aluminium (Al) accumulation and disrupted mineral element homoeostasis in the hippocampus. However, they did not change the morphology of the hippocampus. Our results show a connection among oxidative stress, disruption of mineral element homoeostasis, and Al accumulation in the hippocampus, which leads to spatial memory deficit in rats treated with Al2O3-NPs.enEXCLI Journal;Vol. 17 2018https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Aluminium oxide nanoparticleHippocampusOxidative responseSpatial memory610article (journal)