NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF ARECA CATECHU LINN ON β-AMYLOID (25-35) INDUCED COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN MICE

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in elderly. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But some category of drugs like AchE inhibitors and NMDA antagonists were used along with some antioxidants and some other supportive therapy. There is a possibility to slow down the brain’s degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s with natural treatments. In the present study animals were divided randomly into five groups of six animals each. Group I animals were given 0.1 % w/v CMC orally by using intra-gastric catheter at dose (10 ml/kg), Group III and Group IV animals were pretreated with hydroalcoholic extract of Areca catechu Linn (HAEAC) for a period of 3 weeks (200 and 400 mg/ kg b.w) and Group V animals were treated with donepezil (1.5 mg/kg/b.w i.p) and were kept in light/dark cycle. During this period the animals were trained in water-maze, Y-maze, exploratory behaviour and passive avoidance apparatus for memory. Amnesia is induced by intra cerebro ventricular injection (I.C.V) of β-amyloid (25-35). I.C.V injection for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th groups were performed on the 21st day of the pretreated animals and continued for 5 days. The last dose was given 60 minutes prior to behavioral testing and on 30th day scarification of animals was done for in-vitro studies. Hydroalcoholic extract of Areca catechu Linn showed significant protective effect on neurodegeneration and also showed improvement on memory retention activity when compared with β-amyloid (25-35) induced animals (Group II)