title: Anti-amnesic activity of Citrus aurantium flowers extract against scopolamine-induced memory impairments in rats.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder that mostly affects the elderly population. Learning and memory impairment as the most characteristic manifestation of dementia could be induced chemically by scopolamine, a cholinergic antagonist. Cholinergic neurotransmission mediated brain oxidative stress. Citrus aurantium (CA) has traditionally been used for the treatment of insomnia, anxiety and epilepsy. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Citrus aurantium on scopolamine-induced learning and memory deficit in rats. Forty-two Wistar rats were divided into six equal groups. (1) Control (received saline), (2) SCOP (scopolamine at a dose of 1 mg/kg for 15 days), (3) and (4) SCOP + CA (scopolamine and CA extract at doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg per day for 15 days), (5) and (6) intact groups (CA extract at 300 and 600 mg/kg per day for 15 days, respectively). Administration of CA flower extract significantly restored memory and learning impairments induced by scopolamine in the passive avoidance test and also reduced escape latency during trial sessions in the Morris water maze test. Citrus aurantium flower extract significantly decreased the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Citrus aurantium flower extract has repairing effects on memory and behavioral disorders produced by scopolamine and may have beneficial effects in the treatment of AD.
authors.affiliation: Medical Plants Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahnama
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rabiei
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Alibabaei
authors.forename: Shiva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mokhtari
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafieian-Kopaei
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Deris
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000633:toxicity; D002957:Citrus; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000097:blood; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000633:toxicity; D065853:Spatial Learning / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D010936:Plant Extracts; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D012601:Scopolamine; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase