Minsook Ye, Sung Ja Rhie, Woojin Jeong, Hyo-Jeong Yu, Youngsuk Kim, Jiyoun Kim, Insop Shim
Grounding, the practice of direct contact with the Earth's surface, has been explored for its potential to alleviate inflammation and neurotoxicity. Trimethyltin (TMT) is a potent neurotoxic compound known for inducing severe central nervous system damage, particularly neuronal death and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus, which is frequently used as an animal model to study neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer disease, due to its ability to induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and neurodegeneration. This study investigated the effect of a grounding mat on cognitive function, neuroinflammation, and neuroprotection in a TMT-induced neurotoxicity rats. Rats were divided into five groups: no grounding mat with saline (Nor), no grounding mat with TMT (Con), electric mat for 21 days with TMT (EM), grounding mat for 7 days with TMT (A-7D), and grounding mat for 21 days with TMT (A-21D). Cognitive function was assessed via the Y-maze test, while blood levels of interleukin (IL)-1��, IL-4, prostaglandin E (PGE), and hippocampal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Con group showed impaired memory and elevated IL-1�� and PGE levels, alongside reduced IL-4, compared to the Nor group. The A-7D group improved memory performance, and the A-21D group showed reductions in IL-1�� and P PGE, with increased IL-4 levels. Both A-7D and A-21D groups had elevated AChE levels compared to the Con group. These findings suggest that grounding may enhance cognitive function by reducing inflammation and promoting neuroprotection in a neurotoxicity model.
