Effect of curcumin on scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice / 中国病理生理杂志

ABSTRACT

AIM:Scopolamine blocks cholinergic transmission and impairs learning and memory in mice．The purpose of this study was to evaluate the memory-improving properties of curcumin on scopolamine-induced memory im-pairment in mice．METHODS：The mice of memory impairment were induced by scopolamine．Step down test and Morris water maze test were used to observe the earning and memory ability in curcumin-treated ice．Biochemical assessments of AChE，MDA，and GSH-Px levels in brains were performed．RESULTS：Oral administration of curcumin ignificantly reduced the numbers of step-down rrors(P<0．05)and prolonged the step-down latency induced by scopolamine(P<0．05)．The escape latency time in mice treated with curcumin Was remarkably educed compared to that in scopolamine group by Morris water maze test(P<0．05)．After the platform was removed，the total time that the mice swam in the tar-get quadrant Was also longer in curcumin group than that in model group(P<0．05)．The data also indicated that curcumin significantly inhibited AChE ctivity(P<0．01)and prevented oxidative stress characterized by the significant reduction in MDA content and the significant increase in GSH-Px activities in the brain(P<0．01)．CONCLUSl0N：Curcumin in-duces cognitive improvement by enhancing the function of cholinergic system and its antioxidant activity．