Abstract: AIM: To explore the effect and mechanism of Vinfluoxine on long-term learning and memory function in infant mice.  METHODS: Sixty SD infant rats were randomly divided into Control group, Anesthesia group, Vinpocetine group (5 mg/kg), Vinpocetine group (10 mg/kg), GSK3β inhibition group (10 mg/kg) , with 12 infant rats in each group. Two hours before anesthesia, the infant rats in each group were injected with the corresponding drugs. Except for the control group, each group continued to inhale 4% sevoflurane for 4 hours. After 8 weeks, the Morris Water Maze experiments were started. Immunofluorescence double stains were used to detect neuronal proliferation in the brain. Western Blot was used to detect the protein expression in the hippocampus. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the incubation period of the rats in the early training groups. On the third day of training, compared with the control group, the rats in the anesthesia group reached a significantly increased platform incubation period (P<0.05); In contrast, the intervention of vinpocetine and SB216763 significantly reduced the latency of rats to reach the platform (P<0.05). And in the test, compared with Anesthesia group, the 10 mg/kg vinpocetine and SB216763 intervention rats achieved a significant reduction in the latency of the first time to the platform (P<0.05), and the number of platforms crossing increased significantly (P<0.05). At the same time, sevoflurane anesthesia mediated a significant decrease in the number of BrdU/NeuN positive cells in rats (P<0.05). In addition, sevoflurane mediated a decrease in Wnt3a expression, an increase in p-GSK3β expression, and a decrease in β-catenin expression in the hippocampus (P<0.05). The intervention of vinpocetine and SB216763 significantly reversed the expression of these cells and proteins. CONCLUSION: Vinpocetine improves the long-term learning and memory function of sevoflurane anesthesia-induced infant rats through Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Key words: sevoflurane, infant rats, neurogenesis, GSK3β