• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.324-328
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• 2013

Soy (Glycine max, family Leguminosae) contains isoflavones and saponins as main constituents. In our preliminary study, soybean ethanol extract (SE) ameliorated scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice in the passive avoidance task. Therefore, to confirm its ameliorating effect for memory impairments, we measured its effect in scopolamine-induced memory-impaired mice in Morris water maze task. SE significantly prevented scopolamine-induced memory impairment in the Morris water maze task. SE also increased the swimming time within quadrant section of the platform on the day after the final training session test. SE protected the reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in the hippocampi of scopolamine-treated mice. However, SE did not inhibit acetylcholinesterase. To understand the possible role of soysaponins in memory impairments, we prepared soyasaponins-rich (butanol) fraction of soybean (SRF) and investigated its protective effect against in the passive avoidance and Morris water maze tasks. SRF ameliorated scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. The memory impairment-ameliorating effect of SRF was more effective than that of SE. Based on these findings, soybean may improve memory impairment by regulating CREB phosphorylation and BDNF expression.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.157-178
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• 2003

Objective : This study was designed to assess the protective effects of Chengwhabosimtang on the animal model of depression, chronic mild stress(CMS). Method : Male Sprague-Dawley rats Were used for this experiment. The subjects Were divided into 3 groups (1. CMS-drug: Chengwhabosimtang administered during CMS treatment, 2. CMS-vehicle: water administered, 3. normal ). After 4 weeks of CMS treatment they were executed Forced swimming test(FST) and Elevated plus maze. Tyrosine hydroxylase(TH) in ventral tegmental area(VTA) and c-Fos in paraventricular nucleus(PVN) were measured. Result : 1. In FST, CMS-drug group showed significantly decreased immobility behavior. 2. CMS-drug group showed no significantly lower TH level in VTA than CMS-vehicle group. 3. CMS-drug group showed significantly less c-Fos expressed cell bodies in PVN than CMS-vehicle group. 4. In Elevated plus maze, CMS-drug group showed no significantly anxiety. Conclusion : These results suggest that Chengwhabosimtang may have protective antidepressant effects in CMS model rats. And these effects could be explained by the elevated stress-copying behaviors which are related with PVN of hypothalamus and dopaminergic neurons in VTA.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.345-352
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• 2010

The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of erythropoietin in memory deficits of mice. Memory impairment was produced by scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, $i.p.$) and intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (i.c.v STZ, 3 mg/kg, $10{\mu}l$, $1^{st}$ and $3^{rd}$ day) in separate groups of animals. Morris water-maze test was employed to assess learning and memory. The levels of brain thio-barbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were estimated to assess degree of oxidative stress. Brain acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) activity was also measured. Scopolamine/streptozotocin administration induced significant impairment of learning and memory in mice as indicated by marked decrease in Morris water-maze performance. Scopolamine/streptozotocin administration also produced a significant enhancement of brain AChE activity and brain oxidative stress (an increase in TBARS and a decrease in GSH) levels. Treatment of erythropoietin (500 and 1,000 IU/Kg i.p.) significantly reversed scopolamine- as well as streptozotocin-induced learning and memory deficits along with attenuation of those-induced rise in brain AChE activity and brain oxidative stress levels. It may be concluded that erythropoietin exerts a beneficial effect in memory deficits of mice possibly through its multiple actions including potential anti-oxidative effect.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.1292-1295
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• 2005

Effects of the Seokchangpo-Wonji-Tang on recovery from disorder of stomach, liver and mental-faculty in alcoholism were studied using male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were assigned into 4 groups; normal, control and Seokchangpo-Wonji-Tang(SWT) group. Control group administered ethanol(25 v/v %) at a dose 3g/kg, while SWT group administered 50mg/kg of SWT 30min before treating same dose of ethanol as control group for 10 days, orally. The gastric ulceration and also GOT and GPT activities in rats were checked, and all groups were subjected to trials of straight channel on the 1st day and to those of multiple T-maze during the following 3 days. The gastric ulceration, GOT and GPT activities were increased in control group, but decreased in SWT group significantly. The time required in normal group for the straight channel of the 2nd and 3rd trials was significantly shorter than that of the 1 st, while the control group showed no significance. In the time required for the multiple T-maze trials, the control group showed no significance. But in the straight or T-maze trials, the SWT group showed significant decrease in the time required against the control group.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.320-327
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• 2008

Several lines of evidence indicate that adenosine $A_{2A}$ agonist disrupts spatial working memory. However, it is unclear which stages of learning and memory are affected by the stimulation of adenosine $A_{2A}$ receptor. To clarify these points, we employed CV-1808 as adenosine $A_{2A}$ agonist and investigated its effects on acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval phases of learning and memory using passive avoidance and the Morris water maze tasks. During the acquisition phase, CV-1808 (2-phenylaminoadenosine, 1 and 2 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased the latency time in passive avoidance task and the mean savings in the Morris water maze task, respectively. During the consolidation and retrieval phase tests, CV-1808 did not exhibited any effects on latency time in passive avoidance task and the mean savings in the Morris water maze task. These results suggest that CV-1808 as an adenosine $A_{2A}$ agonist impairs memory acquisition but not consolidation or retrieval.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.346-350
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• 1995

To assess the behavior of the various chemicals, such as ethylcholine axiridinium (AF54A), scopolamine and morphine, the chemicals were administered into eitheer rat or mice. And water maze tests were performed before and during drug administration. In AF64A-treated groups (3 nmol/each ventricle), the latencies to escape was significantly increased in both of the pretraining-and posttraining groups. In scopolamine-treatment (2mg/kg, sc) to the pretrained group, the latency to escape was significantly shortened after the acute administration of scopolamine. However in subscute treatment group with scopolamine, the latency to escape was significantly increased. In morphine-treated groups (10 mg/kg, ip), the subacute treatmment with morphine, the latency to escape was not ahcnged. The results indicate that each chemical induces the learning impariment. However the chrmical-induced learning impairment may have different characteristics upon the exposed chemical. Also the results suggest that both the motivation and the retrieval of memory might be impaired by AF64A.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to characterize the putative anxiolytic-like effects of the 70% ethanol extract of Portulaca oleracea (EPO) using an elevated plus maze (EPM) in mice. The EPO was orally administered at 50, 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg to ICR mice, 1 h before the behavioral evaluation in the EPM, respectively. Control mice were treated with an equal volume of 10% tween 80, and positive control mice with diazepam (1 mg/kg). Single treatments of the EPO significantly increased the percentage of time spent and arm entries into the open arms of the EPM versus controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, there were no changes in the locomotor activity and myorelaxant effects in any group compared with the saline controls. In addition, the anxiolytic-like effects of the EPO were blocked by flumazenil (10 mg/kg, i.p), a $GABA_A$ antagonist not by WAY 100635 (0.3 mg/kg, i.p), a 5-$HT_{1A}$ receptor antagonist. These results indicate that P. oleracea is an effective anxiolytic agent, and suggest that the anxiolytic-like effects of P. oleracea is mediated via the GABAergic nervous system.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.234-239
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• 2001

Three types of learning and memory tests (Morris water maze, active and passive avoidance) were performed in rats following intracerebroventricular infusion of ethylcholine aziridium (AF64A). In Morris water maze, AF64A-treated rats showed the delayed latencies to find the platform iron 6th day after the infusion. In pretrained rats, AF64A caused the significant delay of latency at 7th days but not 8th day. In the active avoidance for the pretrained rats, the escape latency was significantly delayed in AF64A-treatment. The percentages of avoidance in AF64A-treated rats were less increased than those in the control. Especially, the percentage of no response in the AF64A-treated rats was markedly increased in the first half trials. In the passive avoidance, AF64A-treated rats shortened the latency 1.5 h after the electronic shock, but not 24 h. AF64A also caused the pretrained rats to shorten the latency 7th day after the infusion, but not 8th day. These results indicate that AF64A might impair the learning and memory. However, these results indicate that the disturbed memory by AF64A might rapidly recover after the first retrain. Furthermore, these results suggest that AF64A may be a useful agent for the animal model of learning for Spatial cognition .

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.234-240
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• 2016

The Y-maze is widely used to test working memory in behavioral science. For this purpose, spontaneous alternation behavior is monitored, and an increased percentage of spontaneous alternation is regarded as enhanced working memory. However, in some cases, the percentage of spontaneous alternation does not accurately reflect the extent of working memory in rodents. To complement the short-comings of this measure, we developed a new method to evaluate working memory on the Y-maze. This is done by defining all spontaneous alternation cases and P_i, the probability that the rodent achieved spontaneous alternation from each alternation case. After all P_i-values acquired in each animal are summarized, the result is considered as entropy. To validate the new analytical method, mice were raised under either control or an enriched environmental condition for 10 weeks, and working memory behavior on the Y-maze was monitored. The results showed that the new analytical method successfully reproduced significance. In addition, the new method turned out to be more accurate than measurement of the percentage of spontaneous alternation, meaning that, to get higher entropy, alternation should be recorded in all arms and directions. Together, these data indicate that the new analytical method is a useful supplement to the method that compares the percentage of spontaneous alternation, and thus is a good tool with which to evaluate working memory in rodents.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2014

Background: Although ginsenosides such as Rg1, Rb1 and Rg3 have shown promise as potential nutraceuticals for cognitive impairment, their use has been limited due to high production cost and low potency. In particular, the process of extracting pure Rg3 from ginseng is laborious and expensive. Methods: We described the methods in preparing ginseol k-g3, an Rg3-enriched fraction, and evaluated its effects on scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. Results: Ginseol k-g3 (25-200 mg/kg) significantly reversed scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in the passive avoidance, but not in Y-maze testing. Ginseol k-g3 (50 and 200 mg/kg) improved escape latency in training trials and increased swimming times within the target zone of the Morris water maze. The effect of ginseol k-g3 on the water maze task was more potent than that of Rg3 or Red ginseng. Acute or subchronic (6 d) treatment of ginseol k-g3 did not alter normal locomotor activity of mice in an open field. Ginseol k-g3 did not inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity, unlike donezepil, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Rg3 enrichment through the ginseol k-g3 fraction enhanced the efficacy of Rg3 in scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice as demonstrated in the Morris water maze task. Conclusion: The effects of ginseol k-g3 in ameliorating scopolamine-induced memory impairment in the passive avoidance and Morris water maze tests indicate its specific influence on reference or long-term memory. The mechanism underlying the reversal of scopolamine-induced amnesia by ginseol k-g3 is not yet known, but is not related to anticholinesterase-like activity.