Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Soy isoflavone on the performance of neurotransmitter systems in adult and aged male rats. Methods: Twenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 183.2- 184.2 g (6-8 months) and twenty aged male albino rats weighing 405.5-429 g (12-16 months) divided to four groups (10 rats per group). as follow: G1: Adult control group (Adult-C); rats fed on basal diet; G2: Aged control group (Aged-C); rats fed on basal diet; G3: Adult Isoflavone group (Adult-ISO) rats fed on basal diet and received isoflavone (100 mg /day);G4: Aged Isoflavone group (Aged-ISO); rats fed on basal diet and received isoflavone (100 mg/day) dissolved in 10 ml of distilled water by oral gavage. At the end of experiment (four weeks) blood samples were collected for biochemical measurements. Result: Current evidence revealed that, soy isoflavone treated group showed enhancement in dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, nitric oxide, acetylcholine, glutamate and GABA whereas decrease in choline acetyl transferase. Conclusion: soy isoflavones improved the neurotransmitters and brain cells functionally and lead to improve the cognitive functions and memory.