Abstract: Objective To investigate the intervention effect of CD147 on learning and memory ability in rat model of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods A total of 60 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group and CD147 group, 20 rats in each group. All of the rats were anesthetized with intraperitoneal injection of 10% chloral hydrate (0.3 g/kg). The rats in the model group and the CD147 group were injected with Aβ1-40 (10 μg) in the bilateral hippocampal CA1 regions, while the rats in the sham operation group were injected with the same amount of saline at the same sites. After 48 h, the rats in CD147 group were injected with CD147 cDNA in the bilateral ventricles, while the rats in model group and sham operation group were injected the same amount of saline at the same sites. Morris water maze test was used to detect the ability of learning and memory of rats. The expressions of β amyloid protein (Aβ) and γ-secretase were detected by Western blot assay. Results The escape latency was significantly longer in model group than that of sham operation group, while which was significantly lower in CD147 group than that of model group (P＜0.05). The number of times across the platform and the time of staying on platform were significantly lower in model group than those of sham operation group, while which was significantly higher in the CD147 group than that of model group (P＜0.05). The expressions of Aβ and γ-secretase were increased significantly in model group compared to those of sham operation group, while which were significantly decreased in CD147 group compared with those of model group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Exogenous CD147 can significantly improve the learning and memory ability of AD rats, and its specific mechanism may be related to regulating the activity of γ-secretase and down regulating the expression of Aβ.

Key words: Alzheimer disease, memory, maze learning, matrix metalloproteinases, amyloid beta-protein, γ-secretase