Pharmaceuticals (Sep 2024)

Anti-Amnesic Effect of <i>Agastache rugosa</i> on Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice

  • Sohi Kang,
  • Nari Lee,
  • Bokyung Jung,
  • Huiyeong Jeong,
  • Changjong Moon,
  • Sang-Ik Park,
  • Seungpil Yun,
  • Teresa Yim,
  • Jung Min Oh,
  • Jae-Won Kim,
  • Ji Hoon Song,
  • Sungwook Chae,
  • Joong Sun Kim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17091173
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 9
p. 1173

Abstract

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Agastache rugosa, a traditional Asian herbal medicine, is primarily used for digestive problems; yet, its cognitive benefits remain unexplored. This study evaluated the anti-amnesic effects of A. rugosa extract (ARE) on scopolamine (SCO)-induced memory impairment in mice. Mice received 100 or 200 mg/kg ARE orally for 5 days, followed by SCO injection. The ARE demonstrated significant antioxidant (DPPH IC50: 75.3 µg/mL) and anti-inflammatory effects (NO reduction). Furthermore, the ARE significantly improved memory performance in the passive avoidance test (escape latency: 157.2 s vs. 536.9 s), the novel object recognition test (novel object preference: 47.6% vs. 66.3%) and the Morris water maze (time spent in the target quadrant: 30.0% vs. 45.1%). The ARE reduced hippocampal acetylcholinesterase activity (1.8-fold vs. 1.1-fold) while increasing choline acetyltransferase (0.4-fold vs. 1.0-fold) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype I (0.3-fold vs. 1.6-fold) expression. The ARE improved hippocampal neurogenesis via doublecortin- (0.4-fold vs. 1.1-fold) and KI-67-positive (6.3 vs. 12.0) cells. Therefore, the ARE exerts protective effects against cognitive decline through cholinergic system modulation and antioxidant activity, supporting its potential use as a cognitive enhancer.

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