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Schizandrin reverses memory impairment in rats
Author(s) -
Egashira Nobuaki,
Kurauchi Kouji,
Iwasaki Katsunori,
Mishima Kenichi,
Orito Kensuke,
Oishi Ryozo,
Fujiwara Michihiro
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.2258
Subject(s) - memory impairment , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor , oxotremorine , antagonist , agonist , cholinergic , pharmacology , endocrinology , scopolamine , medicine , muscarinic antagonist , chemistry , receptor , cognition , psychiatry
The present study investigated the effect of schizandrin, a component of the fruit of Schizandra chinesis Baill (Fructus Schizandrae), on memory impairment in rats. Scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.), a non‐selective muscarinic receptor antagonist, markedly impaired spatial memory in an eight‐arm radial maze. A higher dose of scopolamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.) also impaired the passive avoidance response. Schizandrin (1 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reversed the scopolamine‐induced impairment of spatial memory. Similarly, schizandrin (1 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reversed the scopolamine‐induced impairment of the passive avoidance response. Moreover, in mice, schizandrin (1 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) enhanced tremors induced by oxotremorine, a muscarinic M 1 receptor agonist. Taken together these findings suggest that schizandrin reverses scopolamine‐induced memory impairment, in part, by enhancing cholinergic function, and that schizandrin might be useful for treating memory deficits. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.