Prosopis cineraria: a potential nootropic agent.
BACKGROUND
Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce (Leguminosae), a plant of the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan is used traditionally by local people for the treatment of memory disorders and to arrest wandering of the mind.


OBJECTIVE
The study includes scientific validation of P. cineraria for nootropic activity. To elucidate the possible mechanism, the anticholinesterase activity was also investigated in different parts of the brain.


METHODS
Methanol extract of P. cineraria stem bark (200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight p.o.) was administered once in a day for 7 days to rats and these rats were then subjected to Morris water-maze (MWM) test for spatial reference memory (SRM) and spatial working memory (SWM) versions of memory testing. The inhibitory effect of the extract on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in discrete rat brain regions (prefrontal cortex [PFC], hippocampus [HIP] and amygdala [AMY]) was also investigated using acetyl thiocholine iodide and dithiobisnitrobenzoic acid reagent.


CONCLUSIONS
The oral administrations of methanol extract of P. cineraria in all doses tested, significantly (p < 0.05) improved both spatial reference and working memories in the MWM test in terms of decrease in escape latency during SRM and increase in time spent in the target quadrant during SWM probe trial. A ceiling effect was observed at 400 mg/kg. Pre-treatment for 7 days significantly inhibited the activity of AChE in the HIP, PFC and AMY.


CONCLUSIONS
The extract exerted significant nootropic activity in the MWM test which may be attributed to the inhibition of brain AChE.
Department of Pharmaceutics, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Bhawani Singh
BS
Bithu
N Ranga
NR
Reddy
Satyendra K
SK
Prasad
Krishnamurthy
K
Sairam
S
S
Hemalatha
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024301:Plant Bark; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018547:Plant Stems; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D029862:Prosopis / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase