Abstract
A wide range of people in the world use natural remedies as primary approaches against illnesses. Accordingly, understanding the mechanisms of action of phytochemicals has become of great interest. In this context, Centella asiatica L. is extensively used, not only as anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agent but also as brain tonic. On this basis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the chronic administration of C. asiatica L. to adult male rats was able to improve the expression of Bdnf, one of the main mediators of brain plasticity. Moreover, we assessed whether the treatment could affect the cognitive performance in the novel object recognition (NOR) test. We confirmed the presence of the main compounds in the plasma. Furthermore, C. asiatica L. administration induced an increase of Bdnf in the prefrontal cortex, and the administration of the higher dose of the extract was able to improve cognitive performance. Finally, the increase in the preference index in the NOR test was paralleled by a further increase in Bdnf expression. Overall, we highlight the ability of C. asiatica L. to affect brain functions by increasing Bdnf expression and by enhancing the cognitive performance.
Highlights
Plants are the most ancient remedies to treat a wide range of pathologies, and their capability to ameliorate different symptoms has been discovered mainly on the basis of peoples’ experiences.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lots of people in the world currently use traditional medicine as a first defense in healthcare [1].In this field, understanding the mechanisms through which botanicals exert their positive effect has become of great interest.Centella asiatica L. (Centella, Gotu kola) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as remedy for a variety of diseases [2]
We observed an increased transcription of neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) in the prefrontal cortex of the rats that were treated with the lower dose of C. asiatica L. (+80% p < 0.01 vs vehicle; Fisher’s protected least significance difference (PLSD)), while we found a down-regulation after the administration of 100 mg/kg of C. asiatica L. in the ventral hippocampus (−44% p < 0.05 vs vehicle; Fisher’s PLSD) (Table 5)
By evaluating the effects of these compounds on neuroplastic mechanisms within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), dHip and vHip, we found that the chronic administration of C. asiatica L. extract in adult male rats induced an increased transcription of total brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), a neurotrophin that is strictly involved in the development and maintenance of neurons in the central nervous system
Summary
Plants are the most ancient remedies to treat a wide range of pathologies, and their capability to ameliorate different symptoms has been discovered mainly on the basis of peoples’ experiences.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lots of people in the world currently use traditional medicine as a first defense in healthcare [1].In this field, understanding the mechanisms through which botanicals exert their positive effect has become of great interest.Centella asiatica L. (Centella, Gotu kola) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as remedy for a variety of diseases [2]. Plants are the most ancient remedies to treat a wide range of pathologies, and their capability to ameliorate different symptoms has been discovered mainly on the basis of peoples’ experiences. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lots of people in the world currently use traditional medicine as a first defense in healthcare [1]. In this field, understanding the mechanisms through which botanicals exert their positive effect has become of great interest. (Centella, Gotu kola) is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as remedy for a variety of diseases [2]. The terpenes of C. asiatica have been shown to have neuroactive and neuroprotective effects in different experimental models [7]
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