Effects of oleamide on choline acetyltransferase and cognitive activities.
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.
Heo
Ho-Jin
HJ
Graduate School of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
Park
Young-June
YJ
Suh
Young-Min
YM
Choi
Soo-Jung
SJ
Kim
Mi-Jeong
MJ
Cho
Hong-Yon
HY
Chang
Yun-Jeong
YJ
Hong
Bumshik
B
Kim
Hye-Kyung
HK
Kim
Eunki
E
Kim
Chang-Ju
CJ
Kim
Byung-Gee
BG
Shin
Dong-Hoon
DH
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
D009829:Oleic Acids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C029407:oleylamide; D012601:Scopolamine; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase