title: Pharmacological validation of in-silico guided novel nootropic potential of Achyranthes aspera L.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Achyranthes aspera (A. aspera) has been used as a brain tonic in folk medicine. Although, ethnic use of medicinal plant has been basis for drug discovery from medicinal plants, but the available in-silico tools can be useful to find novel pharmacological uses of medicinal plants beyond their ethnic use.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To validate in-silico prediction for novel nootropic effect of A. aspera by employing battery of tests in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Phytoconstituents of A. aspera reported in Dictionary of Natural Product were subjected to in-silico prediction using PASS and Pharmaexpert. The nootropic activity predicted for A. aspera was assessed using radial arm maze, passive shock avoidance and novel object recognition tests in mice. After behavioral evaluation animals were decapitated and their brains were collected and stored for estimation of glutamate levels and acetylcholinesterase activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In-silico activity spectrum for majority of A. aspera phytoconstituents exhibited excellent prediction score for nootropic activity of this plant. A. aspera extract treatment significantly improved the learning and memory as evident by decreased working memory errors, reference memory errors and latency time in radial arm maze, step through latency in passive shock avoidance and increased recognition index in novel object recognition were observed, moreover significantly enhanced glutamate levels and reduced acetylcholinesterase activity in hippocampus and cortex were observed as compared to the saline treated group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In-silico and in-vivo results suggest that A. aspera plant may improve the learning and memory by modulating the brain glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Dinesh Yugraj
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Gawande
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002, Punjab, India. Electronic address: goelrkpup@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rajesh Kumar
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Goel
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D029044:Achyranthes; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D018517:Plant Roots; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute
chemical_list: D018697:Nootropic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: 10-Tricosanone (PubChem CID: 5195001); 2-octacosanone (PubChem CID: 10960543); 3-Tritriacontanone (PubChem CID: 545660); AChE; Achyranthes aspera Linn; Betaine (PubChem CID: 248); Cognition enhancer; Ecdysterone (PubChem CID: 271605; Glutamate; HPTLC; In-silico; Piracetam (PubChem CID: 4843)