title: Antiamnesic effect of B. monniera on L-NNA induced amnesia involves calmodulin.
abstract: Amnesia may result from ageing, chronic drug abuse or head injury and there are limited therapeutic strategies to such conditions. We have shown that Bacopa monniera, a memory enhancing drug can reverse both diazepam and scopolamine induced amnesia in mice. In order to understand the downstream effects of B. monniera, this study was designed to investigate how B. monniera antagonizes MK801, an NMDA receptor antagonist and N(omega)-Nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. We compared the degree of reversal B. monniera imparts on MK801 and L-NNA induced anterograde amnesia in experimental mice. Our data revealed that L-NNA induced anterograde amnesia was significantly reversed by B. monniera, however, it did not attenuate the MK 801 induced anterograde amnesia. B. monniera significantly increased calmodulin (CaM) and pCREB/CREB levels when the whole brain lysates of B. monniera pretreated amnesic mice were compared with those of L-NNA treated mice. We conclude that antiamnesic effect B. monniera on L-NNA induced amnesia may be mediated by NO pathyway involving CaM, which is required for LTP sustenance. These studies evoke interest in their future development as potential antiamnesic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Akshay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.forename: Manish Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Saraf
authors.forename: Sudesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prabhakar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D034681:Bacopa; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000502:physiology*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013535:Suspensions
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D028321:Plant Preparations; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D013535:Suspensions; D019335:Nitroarginine; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase