Changes in short term hippocampal plasticity caused by a peptide designed and synthesized based on the structure of a conotoxine

Introduction: The design of instruments or molecules inspired by nature has made it possible to advance in different areas of science and technology.
Objective: To evaluate short-term plastic changes triggered by the intraperitoneal administration of an agonist peptide of the glutamate NMDA receptor.
Materials and methods: Male rats divided into a peptide group (to whom the peptide was administered peritoneally) and a control group (to whom the vehicle was administered peritoneally) were used. Using stereotactic techniques, stimulation and recording electrodes were located in the hippocampal areas CA3 and CA1 respectively, with the aim of obtaining the field potentials and analyzing changes in their slope and amplitude by the application of pairs of stimuli, before and after the administration of the peptide.
Results: Although with the administration of the peptide there are no changes in systemic variables such as temperature or heart rate, the field potentials can be modified, specifically when the interval between stimulus pairs is shorter (40 to 80 ms). Conclusion: The peptide evaluated in the present work has effects on paired pulse facilitation both in the amplitude and in the slope of field potentials in the hippocampus of rats, but in the shorter intervals between stimuli.