Resveratrol reverses hippocampal synaptic markers injury and SIRT1 inhibition against developmental Pb exposure

[Display omitted] •SIRT1 has been reported to modulate synaptic plasticity to improve cognitive function.•Pb exposure induced impairment in synaptic functional plasticity early in life.•Resveratrol reversed the Pb-induced decrease in the expression level of synaptic marker proteins.•Resveratrol attenuated a decrease in the expression levels of SIRT1 and BDNF induced by Pb. Lead (Pb) exposure damages synaptic structural plasticity that results in cognitive impairment. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, is one of the most potent agonists of silencing information regulator 1 (SIRT1) discovered to date. However, the effects of SIRT1 on synaptic functional plasticity in early life Pb exposure are not well studied. Herein, the purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of synaptic markers and SIRT1 in rats exposed to Pb and to evaluate the regulatory effect of resveratrol during this process. The Pb exposed male SD pups were treated with resveratrol (50 mg/kg/d) or EDTA (150 mg/kg/d) followed by hippocampal and blood sampling for analysis at postnatal day 21 (PND21). In the Morrris water maze test, resveratrol treatement protected the rats against Pb-induced impairment of learning and memory (P < 0.05). Resveratrol also enhanced the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, P