RESUMO
Various factors such as senescence, stress, neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD) contribute to the impairments of organs, especially brain. Also, they should be negative factors on normal brain function, like as memory and cognition. In this study, the neuroprotective role of BF-7, extracted from Bombyx mori, was examined agaist scopolamine-induced neurotoxicity in SK-N-SH cells. In order to know if the BF-7 has positive role on the cognition and memory, we examined using SD rat model and human. Scopolamine-induced memory impairments were observed, as measured by the passive avoidance and water maze tests, but treatment with BF-7 significantly improved memory and cognitive function. Moreover, the memory index and memory preservation of clinical experiments using MMSE-K tests were significantly improved memory and cognitive function. This results strongly represent that the BF-7 play effectively positive role in the improvement of brain function including learning and memory. Taken together, our results suggested that the BF-7 should be useful for developing strategies protecting nervous system and improving brain function.