title: Evaluation of potential antiamnesic activities of aqueous extract of Vitex trifolia leaves against scopolamine induced amnesia and in normal rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this study was to evaluate the cerebroprotective and cognition-enhancing activities of the aqueous Vitex trifolia (Vt) L. (Verbenaceae) leaf extract against scopolamine-induced amnesia and in normal rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reference or working memory and long-term memory in rodents were tested by experimental paradigms like passive avoidance (PA) and T-maze (TM), respectively. TM and Morris water maze (MWM) were used to screen putative spatial or localization task and the navigation memory-enhancing activities of Vt extract, respectively. In both the PA and TM models, scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, 30 min prior to the trial) was used to induce amnesia, and donepezil (3 mg/kg/day for 15 days) was used as a standard antiamnesic drug. In MWM, two doses of Vt extract were tested against normal control rats. The aqueous Vt extract was prepared as a suspension in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose and administered orally at two doses (10 and 20 mg/kg/day) for 15 days to the respective group of rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The higher dose (20 mg/kg) of plant extract exhibited significant (p<0.01) antiamnesic activity in the PA and TM models vs. the control. In the MWM test, at probe trial, Vt extract 20 mg/kg showed the least escape latency time, which was statistically significant (p<0.01) and exhibited maximum percentage of time spent in the probe quadrant by 60.75%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results partly substantiate the traditional use of Vt leaves for improvement of cognition, indicating that daily administration of Vt leaves differentially could modulate short- and long-term learning and memory in rats probably through its battery of anticholinesterase, procholinergic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective activities.
authors.forename: Amberkar Vittal Rao
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Mohanbabu
authors.forename: Meena Kumari Kamal
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kishore
authors.forename: Bangalore Revanna
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Chandrashekar
authors.forename: Hoskeri Dakappa
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Pradeepa
authors.forename: Rockson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Christopher
authors.forename: Purnanand Banawalikar
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Nandit
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000647:Amnesia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D000077265:Donepezil; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007189:Indans / Q000494:pharmacology; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000633:toxicity; D020950:Vitex / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D007189:Indans; D010880:Piperidines; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000077265:Donepezil; D012601:Scopolamine