title: Auraptene consolidates memory, reverses scopolamine-disrupted memory in passive avoidance task, and ameliorates retention deficits in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Auraptene (7-geranyloxycoumarin) (AUR), from Citrus species has shown anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and beta-secretase inhibitory effects. Scopolamine is a nonselective muscarinic receptor antagonist which causes short-term memory impairments and is used for inducing animal model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This research aimed to investigate the effect of AUR on scopolamine-induced avoidance memory retention deficits in step-through task in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effect of four-day pre-training injections of AUR (50, 75, and 100 mg/kg, subcutaneous (SC)) and scopolamine (1 mg/kg, IP), and their co-administration on avoidance memory retention in step-through passive avoidance task, was investigated by measuring the latency to enter to the dark chamber.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre-training administration of AUR caused significant increase in step-through latency in comparison with control group, 48, 96, and 168 hr after training trial. The findings of this study showed that scopolamine (1 mg/kg, IP, for four consecutive days) impaired passive avoidance memory retention compared to saline-treated animals. Step-through passive avoidance task results showed that AUR markedly reversed scopolamine-induced avoidance memory retention impairments, 24 and 168 hr after training trial in step-through task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from co-administration of AUR and scopolamine showed that AUR reversed scopolamine-induced passive avoidance memory retention impairments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran; Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
authors.forename: Kaveh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tabrizian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
authors.forename: Najmeh Sadat
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Yaghoobi
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center and School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iranshahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shahraki
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rezaee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashemzaei
keywords: Auraptene; Avoidance memory retention; Mice; Scopolamine; Shuttle box