Abstract

A NOOTROPIC EFFECT OF BENINCASA HISPIDA ON ACH AND CHAT ACTIVITY IN COLCHICINE INDUCED EXPERIMENTAL RAT MODEL OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF ANTIOXIDANTS

Chandan Roy*, Debasis Mazumdar

Abstract

The fruit Benincasa hispida (BH) is an important ingredient of „Kusmanda lehyam‟ (Ayurvedic medicine), which is widely used, in nervous disorders. The present study has been designed to evaluate the cognition facilitating effect of BH pulp extract in colchicine induced experimental rat model of AD and to investigate the role of central cholinergic system in the nootropic effect of BH pulp extract with the possible involvement of antioxidant enzymes. The behavior study, Acetylcholine concentration, cholineacetyl transferase activity, antioxidant level such as, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) level were studied in different parts of the brain such as frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus (HPC) in colchicine induced experimental Alzheimer rat model before and after treatment with BH. BH (400 mg/kg p.o.) induced statistically significant reversal of colchicine induced cognitive deficits. BH (400 mg/kg p.o.) markedly induced frontal cortical and hippocampal concentrations of Ach and ChAt activity, the effects being statistically significant on days 7, 14 and 21 respectively. Moreover, BH significantly increased SOD, CAT, GSH activities and significantly decreased LPO level on day 7, 14 and 21 respectively. The aqueous pulp extract of BH (400 mg/kg body weight) containing vit- A, C, E results significant protection in the level of antioxidant status in frontal cortex and hippocampas after a certain period of co administration on colchicine induced oxidative stress without causing any general and metabolic toxicity and possibly thereby induced frontal cortical and hippocampal concentration of Ach and ChAT activity.

Keywords: Benincasa hispida, Colchicine, Alzheimer?s disease, Acetylcholine, Cholineacetyltransferase, Antioxidant.