EFFECT OF ACETOSELLA CORNICULATA L. (OXALIDACEAE) ON CORTICOSTERONE INDUCED MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT ON ALBINO MICE

*Dr. P.V. Madhava Reddy, C. Suma, K. Yalla Reddy, N. Sekhar and K. Rama Rao

ABSTRACT

Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) that is associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. These include Thinking, Language, Memory, Understanding, Judgement. People with dementia may also have problems controlling their emotions or behaving appropriately in social situations. Most cases of dementia are caused by damage to the structure of the brain. Here the aim of the present research work on memory-enhancing effects of the Methanolic Extract of Acetosella corniculata L (MEAC) on Corticosterone (5mg/kg) induced mild cognitive impairment on albino mice were assessed by Morris water maze (MWM) and step-down passive avoidance tests. In MWM tests, the impaired spatial memory of the mice was partly reversed by MEAC (200 and 400 mg/kg; P < 0.05) as compared with the control mice. In step-down tests, the nonspatial memory of the mice was improved by MEAC (200 and 400 mg/kg; P < 0.05). Additionally, MEAC could increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) and acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) activities, and decrease the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain tissue of the mice. The results showed that MEAC improved memory functions of the mice probably via its antioxidant properties and via decreasing the activities of MAO and AChE.

Keywords: Dementia, Corticosterone, Morris water maze, passive avoidance, antioxidant etc.