Abstract

The present study investigates the effects of Yukmijihwang-tang Derivatives (YMJd) on learning and memory through the Morris water maze task and the central cholinergic system of rats with excitotoxic medial septum (MS) lesion. In the water maze test, the animals were trained to find a platform in a fixed position for 6 d and then received a 60-s probe trial in which the platform was removed from the pool on the 7th day. Ibotenic lesion of the MS showed the impaired performance in the Morris water maze test and severe cell losses in the MS, as indicated by decreased choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactivity in the medial septum. Daily administrations of YMJd (100 mg/kg, i.p.) for 21 consecutive days produced significant reversals of ibotenic acid-induced deficit in learning and memory. These treatments also reduced the loss of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity in the MS induced by ibotenic acid. These results suggest that impairments of spatial learning and memory might be attributable to the degeneration of septohippocampal cholinergic (SHC) neurons and that YMJd treatment ameliorated learning and memory deficits partly due through neuroprotective effects on the central acetylcholine system. Our studies suggest that YMJd might be useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. © 2006 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.

Author keywords

Alzheimer's disease; Morris water maze test; Yukmijihwang-tang derivative

Indexed keywords

EMTREE drug terms: Alismatis radix extract; Chinese drug; Corni fructus extract; Discoreae radix extract; hoelen extract; ibotenic acid; lycii fructus extract; Mountain cortex radix extract; plant extract; rehmanniae radix extract; unclassified drug; yukmijihwang tang derivative

EMTREE medical terms: amnesia; animal behavior; animal experiment; animal model; article; Chinese medicine; cholinergic system; controlled study; herbal medicine; immunoreactivity; learning; male; maze test; memory; nonhuman; rat

MeSH: Amnesia; Animals; Choline O-Acetyltransferase; Disease Models, Animal; Ibotenic Acid; Male; Maze Learning; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.

Chemicals and CAS Registry Numbers: ibotenic acid, 2552-55-8;Choline O-Acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.6; Ibotenic Acid, 2552-55-8; Plant Extracts