title: Effects of oleamide on choline acetyltransferase and cognitive activities.
abstract: We screened 50 Korean traditional natural plants to measure the activation effect on choline acetyltransferase and attenuation of scopolamine-induced amnesia. The methanolic extracts from Zizyphus jujuba among the tested 50 plants, showed the highest activatory effect (34.1%) on choline acetyltransferase in vitro. By sequential fractionation of Zizyphus jujuba, the active component was finally identified as cis-9-octadecenoamide (oleamide). After isolation, oleamide showed a 65% activation effect. Administration of oleamide (0.32%) to mice significantly reversed the scopolamine-induced memory and/or cognitive impairment in the passive avoidance test and Y-maze test. Injection of scopolamine to mice impaired performance on the passive avoidance test (31% decrease in step-through latency), and on the Y-maze test (16% decrease in alternation behavior). In contrast, mice treated with oleamide before scopolamine injection were protected from these changes (12-25% decrease in step-through latency; 1-10% decrease in alternation behavior). These results suggest that oleamide should be a useful chemo-preventive agent against Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Young-June
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Soo-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Mi-Jeong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hong-Yon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yun-Jeong
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Bumshik
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hye-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eunki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chang-Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Gee
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong-Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000647:Amnesia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012601:Scopolamine; D031957:Ziziphus / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009829:Oleic Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C029407:oleylamide; D012601:Scopolamine; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase