Cognitive Ameliorating Effect of Acanthopanax koreanum Against Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice.
Acanthopanax koreanum Nakai (Araliaceae) is one of the most widely cultivated medicinal plants in Jeju Island, Korea, and the roots and stem bark of A. koreanum have been traditionally used as a tonic agent for general weakness. However, the use of A. koreanum for general weakness observed in the elderly, including those with declined cognitive function, has not been intensively investigated. This study was performed to investigate the effect of the ethanol extract of A. koreanum (EEAK) on cholinergic blockade-induced memory impairment in mice. To evaluate the ameliorating effects of EEAK against scopolamine-induced memory impairment, mice were orally administered EEAK (25, 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg), and several behavioral tasks, including a passive avoidance task, the Y-maze, and a novel object recognition task, were employed. Besides, western blot analysis was conducted to examine whether EEAK affected memory-associated signaling molecules, such as protein kinase B (Akt), Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). The administration of EEAK (100 or 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated the scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in the passive avoidance task, the Y-maze, and the novel object recognition task. The phosphorylation levels of both Akt and CaMKII were significantly increased by approximately two-fold compared with the control group because of the administration of EEAK (100 or 200 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). Moreover, the phosphorylation level of CREB was also significantly increased compared with the control group by the administration of EEAK (200 mg/kg) (p < 0.05). The present study suggests that EEAK ameliorates the cognitive dysfunction induced by the cholinergic blockade, in part, via several memory-associated signaling molecules and may hold therapeutic potential against cognitive dysfunction, such as that presented in neurodegenerative diseases, for example, Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Sunhee
S
Lee
Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Ho Jae
HJ
Park
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Se Jin
SJ
Jeon
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Eunji
E
Kim
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Hyung Eun
HE
Lee
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Haneul
H
Kim
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Yubeen
Y
Kwon
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Jiabao
J
Zhang
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
In Ho
IH
Jung
Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.|Kyung Hee East-West Pharmaceutical Research Institute, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, Korea.
Jong Hoon
JH
Ryu
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D028001:Eleutherococcus / Q000737:chemistry*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000009:adverse effects*
D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol; D012601:Scopolamine
Acanthopanax koreanum; Alzheimer's disease; behavioral test; cAMP response element-binding protein