The effect of mixed water extracts of Anemarrhena asphodeloides and Gastrodia elata on cognition in mice

ObjectiveObserve the effect of （Mixed aqueous extract of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma， Gastrodiae Rhizoma， Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus and Poria Cocos， CGTI） on the cognitive ability of mice with memory impairment induced by scopolamine.MethodsOne hundred male Kunming mice were divided into two groups （Groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ） according to their body weights ， each group was further divided into five subgroups， a blank control group， a model control group， and three dosage groups of CGTI ［225， 450， 900 mg/（kg·BW/d）］. Thirty minutes before the beginning of the behavioral test， scopolamine hydrobromide was intraperitoneally injected to induce the memory impairment model in mice. After the behavioral experiments， the hippocampal tissue was taken to measure the activity of AChE， and pathological morphological observations of the hippocampal tissue were made.ResultsThe number of errors in darkness avoidance experiment and the activity of AChE in the hippocampus of the model group were significantly higher than those of the blank control group （P<0.05）， and the avoidance latency， target quadrant residence time， number of crossing platforms and recognition index were significantly lower than that in the blank group （P<0.05）. The number of errors in the 450 and 900 mg/kg dose groups was significantly lower than that in the model group， and the escape latency was significantly higher than that in the model group （P<0.05）. The residence time in the target quadrant， the number of times traversing the platform，the recognition indices were significantly higher in the 450 and 900 mg/kg dose groups than in the model group （P<0.05）. The AChE activity in the 450 and 900 mg/kg dose groups were significantly lower than that in the model control group （P<0.05）. The pathological morphology observation results of hippocampal tissue in the dose groups showed significant protective effects on hippocampal neurons.ConclusionsCGTI can effectively improve the learning and memory abilities of mice with memory impairment models.