@article{2995941, title = "The effects of rivastigmine plus selegiline on brain acetylcholinesterase, (Na+, K+)-, Mg2+- ATPase activities, antioxidant status, and learning performance of aged rats", author = "Carageorgiou, H. and Sideris, A.C. and Messari, I. and Liakou, C.I. and Tsakiris, S.", journal = "Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment", year = "2008", volume = "4", number = "4", pages = "687-699", publisher = "Dove Medical Press Ltd", issn = "1176-6328, 1178-2021", doi = "10.2147/ndt.s3272", keywords = "acetylcholinesterase; adenosine triphosphatase (magnesium); adenosine triphosphatase (potassium sodium); free radical; norselegiline; rivastigmine; sodium chloride, age distribution; aged; animal behavior; animal experiment; animal tissue; antioxidant activity; article; biochemistry; brain function; chronic drug administration; cognition; combination chemotherapy; controlled study; drug potentiation; enzyme activation; enzyme activity; enzyme inhibition; learning; male; monotherapy; nonhuman; passive avoidance; rat; recognition; statistical significance", abstract = "We investigated the effects of rivastigmine (a cholinesterase inhibitor) and selegiline ((-)deprenyl, an irreversible inhibitor of monoamineoxidase-B), alone and in combination, on brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE), (Na+, K+)-, Mg2+-ATPase activities, total antioxidant status (TAS), and learning performance, after long-term drug administration in aged male rats. The possible relationship between the biochemical and behavioral parameters was evaluated. Methods: Aged rats were treated (for 36 days) with rivastigmine (0.3 mg/ kg rat/day ip), selegiline (0.25 mg/kg rat/day im), rivastigmine plus selegiline in the same doses and way of administration as separately. Aged and adult control groups received NaCl 0.9% 0.5 ml ip. Results: TAS was lower in aged than in adult rats, rivastigmine alone does not affect TAS, decreases AChE activity, increases (Na+, K+)-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase activity of aged rat brain and improves cognitive performance. Selegiline alone decreases free radical production and increases AChE activity and (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity, improving cognitive performance as well. In the combination: rivastigmine seems to cancel selegiline action on TAS and AChE activity, while it has additive effect on (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity. In the case of Mg2+-ATPase selegiline appears to attenuate rivastigmine activity. No statistically significant difference was observed in the cognitive performance. Conclusion: Reduced TAS, AChE activity and learning performance was observed in old rats. Both rivastigmine and selesiline alone improved performance, although they influenced the biochemical parameters in a different way. The combination of the two drugs did not affect learning performance. © 2008 Carageorgiou et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd." }