ENHANCING COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF HEALTHY WISTAR RATS WITH AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF Centella asiatica

Main Authors: Rosdah, Ayeshah A, Lusiana, Evi, Reagan, Muhammad, Akib, Abdurrahman, Khairunnisa, Fadhila, Husna, Afkara
Format: Article info application/pdf Journal
Bahasa: eng
Terbitan: PP PBBMI , 2019
Online Access: https://pbbmi.org/jurnal/index.php/ActaBioIna/article/view/15
https://pbbmi.org/jurnal/index.php/ActaBioIna/article/view/15/pdf
Daftar Isi:
  • Background: Centella asiatica (L.) Urb is a native herb from Asian countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. This herb has been widely used as a cure for various diseases. However, studies investigating the aqueous extract of Centella asiatica as a nootropic in healthy individuals are still very limited.Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential of aqueous extract of Centella asiatica in enhancing cognitive function of healthy male Wistar rats.Methods: Rats were randomly allocated to four treatment groups, i.e. without treatment and aqueous Centella asiatica extract at doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg. To determine enhancement of cognitive function, novel object recognition (NOR) test was conducted after the course of treatment. Acetylcholine content was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: There was a significantly high preference index towards the novel object in the NOR test in groups treated with 200 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of the aqueous extract compared to control. This was further confirmed by a significant increase of brain acetylcholine content in rats treated with 200 mg/kg of the extract.Conclusion: Therefore, this study confirms that the aqueous extract is effective in enhancing cognitive performance of healthy Wistar rats.