Huperzine A ameliorates the impaired memory of aged rat in the Morris water maze performance.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the memory-improving properties of huperzine A in aged rats with memory impairments naturally occurring or induced by scopolamine.


METHODS
Morris water maze was used to investigate the effects of huperzine A on the acquisition and memory impairments.


RESULTS
During 7-day acquisition trials, aged rats took longer latency to find the platform. Huperzine A (0.1-0.2 mg/kg, s.c.) could significantly reduce the latency. In the probe trials on the eighth day, huperzine A (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly increased the time in the quadrant where plateform had disappeared in aged rats. In the acute experiment, scopolamine (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly impaired spatial memory in the trained aged rats. Huperzine A (0.4 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly reversed the memory deficits induced by scopolamine.


CONCLUSIONS
Huperzine A ameliorates the impaired memory naturally occurring or induced by scopolamine in aged rats.
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031.
J W
JW
Ye
Y Z
YZ
Shang
Z M
ZM
Wang
X C
XC
Tang
D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000470:Alkaloids; D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000470:Alkaloids; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C050426:huperzine A; D012601:Scopolamine