Ameliorating the Effect of Astragaloside IV on Learning and Memory Deficit after Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Rats

Ameliorating the Effect of Astragaloside IV on Learning and Memory Deficit after Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion in Rats

Sooyong Kim , Il-Hwan Kang , Jung-Bum Nam , Yoonchul Cho , Doo-Young Chung , Seung-Hwan Kim , Jeong-Soo Kim , Yong-Deok Cho , Eun-Ki Hong , Nak-Won Sohn and Jung-Won Shin

Abstract

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) has been reported to have a prominent antioxidant effect and was proposed as a promising agent for the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders accompanied by cognitive impairment. The present study investigated the ameliorating effect of AS-IV on learning and memory deficits induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in rats. Rats were treated with two doses of AS-IV (10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 28 days starting from the 5th week after permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. AS-IV treatment (at dose of 20 mg/kg) significantly improved the spatial learning and memory deficits assessed using the Morris water maze test in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. AS-IV significantly attenuated neuronal apoptosis as well as the levels of superoxide dismutase and lipid peroxidation markers, including malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, in the hippocampus. AS-IV also significantly reduced 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine expression, a maker of oxidative DNA damage, while significantly inhibited the astrocyte and microglia activation in the hippocampus. The results indicate that AS-IV has therapeutic potential for the prevention of dementia caused by cerebral hypoperfusion and suggest that the ameliorating effect of AS-IV on learning and memory deficits might be the result of suppressing neuronal apoptosis and

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) (from Astragalus membranaceus; C41H68O14;Figure1A) was purchased from Biopurify Phytochemicals (Chengdu, China).