English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Medicinal plants have long been used for treating various diseases. Piper betle, an evergreen and perennial plant, is valued for its medicinal properties from ancient times. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of aqueous extract and ethanolic extract of Piper betle leaf on animal models of learning and memory and compare it with piracetam. METHODS Piper betle leaves aqueous extract (PBAE) and ethanolic extract (PBEE) were administered to the Swiss albino mice at a dose of 100, 200 mg/kg body weight orally for 14 days to evaluate their effect on spatial learning and memory using the Hebb– William’s maze (HWM) and elevated plus maze (EPM). The study group included a control (distilled water) and a standard nootropic agent (Piracetam 150 mg/kg). RESULTS One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey Kramer’s multiple comparison test (P = 0.05) were used for comparison of groups and tabulated as mean ± SE. PBEE at a dose of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg has shown significant memory enhancing activity, as indicated by a decrease in the TRC (time taken to reach the reward chamber) and TL (transfer latency) in both the screening tests of learning and memory. CONCLUSIONS PBEE possess potent memory enhancing property and can be considered as a potential drug for improving memory in the medical management of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. KEY WORDS Piper betle L, Swiss Albino Mice, Hebb–Williams Maze (HWM), Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Piracetam.