Abstract
Desmodium triquetrum DC. (Leguminosae) is widely used in Ayurveda for treating various neurological disorders. In the present study, the effectiveness of aqueous extract of roots of D. triquetrum in mice in attenuating scopolamine-induced amnesia was investigated. Passive avoidance paradigm was used to assess long-term memory. In order to delineate the possible mechanism through which D. triquetrum elicits the anti-amnesic effects, we studied its influence on central cholinergic activity by estimating the acetylcholine content of the whole brain and acetylcholinesterase activity at different regions of the mouse brain, viz., cerebral cortex, midbrain, medulla oblongata and cerebellum. Pretreatment with D. triquetrum (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) for seven successive days, reversed scopolamine induced amnesia in mice. D. triquetrum increased mice brain acetylcholine content and decreased acetyl cholinesterase activity in a similar fashion to the standard cerebro-protective drug piracetam. The aqueous extract of roots D. triquetrum can be used to delay the onset and reducing the severity of the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
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