Abstract
BackgroundSonchus asper (SA) is traditionally used as a folk medicine to treat mental disorders in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of polyphenolic rich methanolic fraction of SA on cognitive performance, brain antioxidant activities and acetylcholinesterase activity in male rats.Methods30 male Sprague–Dawley rats were equally divided into three groups in this study. Animals of group I (control) received saline (vehicle), group II received SA (50 mg/kg) body weight (b.w.), and group III treated with SA (100 mg/kg b.w.,) orally in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for 7 days. The effect of SA was checked on rat cognitive performance, brain antioxidatant and acetylcholinesterase activities. Evaluation of learning and memory was assessed by a step-through a passive avoidance test on day 6 after two habituation trials and an initial acquisition trial on day 5. Antioxidant potential was determined by measuring activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in whole-brain homogenates. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was determined by the colorimetric method.ResultsResults showed that 100 mg/kg b.w., SA treated rats exhibited a significant improvement in learning and memory (step-through latency time). SA administration reduced lipid peroxidation products and elevated glutathione levels in the SA100-treated group. Furthermore, salt and detergent soluble AChE activity was significantly decreased in both SA-treated groups. Short-term orally supplementation of SA showed significant cognitive enhancement as well as elevated brain antioxidant enzymes and inhibited AChE activity.ConclusionThese findings stress the critical impact of Sonchus asper bioactive components on brain function.
Highlights
Sonchus asper (SA) is traditionally used as a folk medicine to treat mental disorders in Pakistan
In-vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay The assay for AChE activity was conducted using the method of Ellman et al [17], having acetylthiocholine iodide (ATCI) as a substrate
The rate of production of thiocholine is determined by the continuous reaction of the thiol with 5,5-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoate (DTNB) ion to produce the yellow anion of 5-thio-2- nitro-benzoic acid
Summary
Sonchus asper (SA) is traditionally used as a folk medicine to treat mental disorders in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of polyphenolic rich methanolic fraction of SA on cognitive performance, brain antioxidant activities and acetylcholinesterase activity in male rats. Supplementation of Sonchus asper revealed inhibition of inflammatory mediator and nitric oxide (NO) as well as lipid peroxidation in rats [8]. The central cholinergic system is essential for the regulation of cognitive functions, as evidenced by the extensive loss of cholinergic neurons observed in the forebrain of Alzheimer’s patients. Many anticholinergic drugs such as scopolamine cause learning and memory deficits in a variety of cognitive animal models [9,10]. The detergent soluble (DS) and salt soluble (SS) fraction of AChE contains predominantly G4 and G1 forms [11]
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