The effects of ethanol and crocin on the induction of long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices.

The effects of ethanol and crocin on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices in vitro. Ethanol (50-75 mM) suppressed the LTP induced by strong tetanic stimulation (51 pulses at 100 Hz). Crocin (20 microM) did not affect the baseline synaptic responses, but significantly prevented the LTP-suppressing action of ethanol. This effect of crocin was concentration dependent (10-30 microM). Crocin (20 microM) alone did not affect the potentiation induced by weak tetanic stimulation (11 pulses at 100 Hz). These in vitro observations suggest that crocin directly prevents the LTP-suppressing action of ethanol within the hippocampus.