Thiamine deficiency in rats affects thiamine metabolism possibly through the formation of oxidized thiamine pyrophosphate.

Background: Thiamine deficiency (TD) has a number of features in common with the neurodegenerative diseases development and close relationship between TD and oxidative stress (OS) has been repeatedly reported in the literature. The aim of this study is to understand how alimentary TD, accompanied by OS, affects the expression and level of two thiamine metabolism proteins in rat brain, namely, thiamine transporter 1 (THTR1) and thiamine pyrophosphokinase (TPK1), and what factors are responsible for the observed changes.

Methods: The effects of OS caused by TD on the THTR1and TPK1 expression in rat cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus were examined.