Abstract
Myrrh, Angelicae Radix, and Schisandrae Fructus have been used to treat diverse diseases including neurological disorder in the traditional Korean medicine. In the present study, we investigated the ameliorating effects of HPM-1, a combined extract of Myrrh, Angelicae Radix and Schisandrae Fructus, on scopolamine-induced memory impairments in mice. First, we assessed HPM-1, HPM-2 and HPM-3, in which Myrrh was extracted with water, 30% ethanol, and 30% ethanol/3% vinegar, respectively. The oral administration of HPM-1, HPM-2, or HPM-3 significantly reversed scopolamine-induced reduction of spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze task. In the passive avoidance task, HPM-1 or HPM-3 restored the decreased latency time of the retention trial by scopolamine treatment, but in terms of efficacy, HPM-1 showed more beneficial effects than HPM-3. In addition, HPM-1 administration reversed scopolamine-induced reduction of spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze task and scopolamine-decreased latency time in the passive avoidance in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that HPM-1 has the therapeutic potential in memory impairments.