The Effect of Whey Protein Isolate on Cognitive Functions and Oksidative Stress in Rats

Whey protein isolate is used as a protein suplement before and after exercise to increase performance in athletes. Due to its high biological value and especially its rich content of amino acids such as tryptophan and tyrosine, its use in cognitive studies has been increasing in recent years. Wistar albino 4-6 week old / 180-200 g adult male rats were used in the study. Experimental animals were obtained from Experimental Animals Application and Research Center of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Afyon Kocatepe University. Rats were divided into 3 groups as control (n = 10), sham (n = 10) and whey group (n = 10). The groups were fed for 30 days under standard feed and water conditions. To the whey group, 2 cc protein solution prepared with 1 g whey protein (6g / kg) and 2 cc tap water were given to the sham group by gavage. No procedure was applied to the control group. Ray arm maze test was used to evaluate short and long term memory performances. Following the completion of the tests, blood samples were taken from the sacrificed animals. TAS, TOS and OSI values were calculated by spectrophotometric measurements. In memory tests, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of LGS, CGS, KDBH, UDBH performances of rats (p> 0.05). According to the results of biochemical analysis, the mean TOS was significantly lower in the whey group than the other groups (p <0.05). Although TAS and OSI values were lower in the whey group, they were not statistically significant (p> 0.05). In our study, it was concluded that whey protein isolate did not affect cognitive functions and oxidative stress. In order to achieve better results, further studies are needed in which different tests are performed in humans and animals by prolonging the administration of whey protein. Key words: Whey Protein Isolate, Cognitive functions, Memory, Ray Arm Labyrinth, Oxidative Stress.