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Figure 3 | BMC Developmental Biology

Figure 3

From: Influences of different developmental periods of taurine supplements on synaptic plasticity in hippocampal CA1 area of rats following prenatal and perinatal lead exposure

Figure 3

The effects of taurine on I/O functions and PPF in P 60–75 groups. (A) The fEPSP slope in Lead group was significantly decreased compared with that in Con group (Lead: n = 9; Con: n = 9; p < 0.01). No significant difference in I/O function was found between Con and Con+Tau groups (Con+Tau: n = 8, p > 0.05). (B) The I/O curves in three taurine supplemented groups were significantly increased relative to Lead group (Lead+PW-Tau: n = 9, p < 0.01; Lead+PL-Tau: n = 9, p < 0.01; Lead+WL-Tau: n = 10, p < 0.01). No evident differences in I/O function were found among Lead+PW-Tau, Lead+PL-Tau and Con groups (p > 0.05). However, the I/O curve in Lead+WL-Tau group differed significantly from that of Con group (p < 0.05). (C) Representative traces of PPF at 40-ms ISI in the six groups. (D) The PPF curve at varying from 10–150 ms in each group. The mean peak facilitation was 12.6% lower in Lead than that in Con group (Lead: 139.8 ± 9.7%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 8; Con: 159.2 ± 8.1%, ISI = 50 ms, n = 11; p < 0.01). A significant decrease of peak facilitation in Con+Tau was observed compared with Con group (Con+Tau: 143.6 ± 7.8%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 9; p < 0.01). (E) The peak facilitation ratios in Lead+PW-Tau and Lead+PL-Tau groups were evidently enhanced compared with the Lead (Lead+PW-Tau: 166.7 ± 8.5%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 9, p < 0.01; Lead+PL-Tau: 159.3 ± 7.5%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 9, p < 0.01), but were statistically indistinguishable from that of Con group (p > 0.05). In contrast, the PPF in Lead+WL-Tau group remained as low as that in Lead group (Lead+WL-Tau: 137.0 ± 8.3%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 10; Lead: 139.8 ± 9.7%, ISI = 40 ms, n = 8; p > 0.05) and differed significantly from that of Con group (p < 0.01). One-way ANOVA with the Bonferroni post hoc test were used for statistical analysis.

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