Abstract
Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn. is a wide spread medicinal herb with various traditional uses. It is well documented for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the 80% ethanol extract of Phyllanthus amarus (PA) on spatial memory using the 8-radial arm maze (8-RAM) in mice after induction of neuro inflammation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a 14- and 28-days treatment study. LC-MS/MS was performed to profile the chemical composition in PA extract. Mice were treated orally with 5% v/v tween 20, PA extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), or ibuprofen (IBF 40 mg/kg) for 14 and 28 days. All groups were challenged with LPS (1 mg/kg) via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection a day prior to the 8-RAM task except for the negative control group which received an i.p. injection of saline. Data obtained were analyzed with one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc Dunnett's test (comparison of all groups against vehicle control). Analysis of LC-MS/MS data revealed the presence of 16 compounds in the PA extract. Administration of PA extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg for 14 and 28 days significantly (*P<0.05) decreased the working and reference memory errors against LPS-induced spatial memory impairment. The observed protective action is possibly due to the putative antineuroinflammatory effects of PA. In conclusion, PA extract possess neuroprotective effects against spatial memory impairment mediated by LPS.
Highlights
Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn. is a medicinal herb which is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions
Based on previous evidence of Phyllanthus species on memory improvement [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11], Phyllanthus amarus (PA) extract was investigated for protection against spatial memory impairment induced by LPS after 14- and 28-days of oral administration
Preliminary identification of phytoconstituents in PA extract by LC-MSMS revealed the presence of tentative phytoconstituents such as brevifolin acid, brevifolin carboxylic acid isomer, ethyl gallate, strictinin, gallic acid, geraniin, benzenoid compound, hyperin, rutin, quercetin-3-glucuronide, kaempferol monosulfate, 3,30-di-Omethyl ellagic acid, caffeic acid, and 2(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7hydroxy-5-benzene propanoic acid
Summary
Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. and Thonn. is a medicinal herb which is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Is a medicinal herb which is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions It has been used for fever, diarrhea, colic, diuresis and kidney aliments [1]. Previous studies in our laboratory have identified the presence of phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, gallic acid, geraniin, corilagin, ellagic acid, and niranthin in Phyllanthus amarus (PA) extract [3]. Other species of Phyllanthus like P. emblica improved learning and memory using a battery of cognitive-behavioral tests such as Morris water maze, elevated plus maze, passive avoidance and rewarded alternation test [5,6]. Treatment with PA extract and phyllanthin were found to improve memory impairment and exhibited anti-cholinesterase activity in young and older mice [4, 11]. We have demonstrated the protective effects of PA
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