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Acetylcholine and memory-enhancing activity of Ficus racemosa bark

1★, 2, 3★ Corresponding author

  1. 1Nutra Bio Innovations, Vijaynagar, Mysore
  2. 2Nargund College of Pharmacy and Research Foundation, Bangalore
  3. 3Department of Studies in Biochemistry, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, India

CORRESPONDENCE

Faiyaz Ahmed

Nutra Bio Innovations, Vijaynagar, Mysore

fayaz_ahmed09@yahoo.co.in

Volume 3, Issue 4 · pp. 246-249 · 2011 · DOI: 10.4103/0974-8490.89744

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in dementia and enhancement of acetylcholine (Ach) levels in brain using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors is one of the most important approaches for the treatment of AD. In this study, aqueous extract of Ficus racemosa Linn. (Moraceae) bark having anti-infl ammatory, antioxidant, and anticholinesterase activity was evaluated for its ability to enhance Ach levels, and to ascertain its antidementia activity in rats. This work was carried out under the assumption that the F. racemosa extract may show combination of actions which could be beneficial in the treatment of AD, such as neuroprotection, attributed to antioxidant and anti-infl ammatory property and may elevate levels of Ach like Ficus hispida extract reported earlier. Administration of the extract at two levels viz., 250 and 500 mg/kg signifi cantly raised (P ≤ 0.05) Ach levels in hippocampi of rats compared to control. The percentage enhancement in Ach levels was found to be 22% and 38%, respectively. Further, the extract at both dosage levels elicited signifi cant reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in transfer latency on elevated plus-maze, which was used as an exteroceptive behavioral model to evaluate memory in rats. It is inferred that it would be worthwhile to explore the potential of F. racemosa in the management of Alzheimer disease.

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    Ahmed, F., Chandra, J. N. N. S., & Manjunath, S. (2011). Acetylcholine and memory-enhancing activity of Ficus racemosa bark. Pharmacognosy Research, 3(4), 246-249. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8490.89744

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    © 2011 Author(s)

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0