Z-Guggulsterone Improves the Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairments Through Enhancement of the BDNF Signal in C57BL/6J Mice.

Z-Guggulsterone Improves the Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairments Through Enhancement of the BDNF Signal in C57BL/6J Mice. Neurochem Res. 2016 Sep 28; Authors: Chen Z, Huang C, Ding W Abstract Memory impairment is a common symptom in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, and its suppression could be beneficial to improve the quality of life of those patients. Z-guggulsterone, a compound extracted from the resin of plant Commiphora whighitii, exhibits numerous pharmacological effects in clinical practice, such as treatment of inflammation, arthritis, obesity and lipid metabolism disorders. However, the role and possible mechanism of Z-guggulsterone on brain-associated memory impairments are largely unknown. This issue was addressed in the present study in a memory impairment model induced by scopolamine, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, using the passive avoidance, Y-maze and Morris water maze tests. Results showed that scopolamine significantly decreased the step-through latency and spontaneous alternation of C57BL/6J mice in passive avoidance and Y-maze test, whereas increased the mean escape latency and decreased the swimming time in target quadrant in Morris water maze test. Pretreatment of mice with Z-guggulsterone at doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg effectively reversed the scopolamine-induced memory impairments. Mechanistic studies revealed that Z-guggulsterone pretreatment reversed the scopolamine-induced increa...
Source: Neurochemical Research - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Neurochem Res Source Type: research