Kim Min-Soo, Jeon Won Kyung, Lee Kye Wan, Park Yu Hwa, Han Jung-Soo
Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea.
Herbal Medicine Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 305-811, Republic of Korea.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:102734. doi: 10.1155/2015/102734. Epub 2015 Feb 1.
We previously reported that Fructus mume (F. mume) extract shows protective effects on memory impairments and anti-inflammatory effects induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. Neurodegeneration of basal cholinergic neurons is also observed in the brain with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine whether F. mume extracts enhance cognitive function via the action of cholinergic neuron using a scopolamine-induced animal model of memory impairments. F. mume (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) was administered to C57BL/6 mice for 14 days (days 1-14) and memory impairment was induced by scopolamine (1 mg/kg), a muscarinic receptor antagonist for 7 days (days 8-14). Spatial memory was assessed using Morris water maze and hippocampal level of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was examined by ELISA and immunoblotting. Mice that received scopolamine alone showed impairments in acquisition and retention in Morris water maze task and increased activity of AChE in the hippocampus. Mice that received F. mume and scopolamine showed no scopolamine-induced memory impairment and increased activity of AChE. In addition, treatments of F. mume increased ChAT expression in the hippocampus. These results indicated that F. mume might enhance cognitive function via action of cholinergic neurons.
我们之前报道过，乌梅提取物对慢性脑灌注不足诱导的记忆损伤具有保护作用以及抗炎作用。在慢性脑灌注不足的大脑中也观察到基底胆碱能神经元的神经变性。因此，本研究使用东莨菪碱诱导的记忆损伤动物模型，来检测乌梅提取物是否通过胆碱能神经元的作用增强认知功能。将乌梅（50、100或200mg/kg）给予C57BL/6小鼠，持续14天（第1 - 14天），并在第8 - 14天用毒蕈碱受体拮抗剂东莨菪碱（1mg/kg）诱导记忆损伤。使用莫里斯水迷宫评估空间记忆，并通过ELISA和免疫印迹检测海马中乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）和胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）的水平。单独接受东莨菪碱的小鼠在莫里斯水迷宫任务中的获得和保持能力受损，海马中AChE的活性增加。接受乌梅和东莨菪碱的小鼠未出现东莨菪碱诱导的记忆损伤，且AChE的活性增加。此外，乌梅处理增加了海马中ChAT的表达。这些结果表明，乌梅可能通过胆碱能神经元的作用增强认知功能。
