• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.319-326
• /
• 2016

We investigated the effect of Selaginella tamariscina extract on the learning and memory impairments in scopolamine-induced (5 mg/kg, i.p.) dementia rats. Rats treated with oral tacrin (20 mg/kg, p.o.) as positive control group and S. tamariscina extract 100, 200mg/kg, p. o. (SME 100, SME 200) as experimental group had significantly reduced scopolamine-induced memory deficits in the passive avoidance test. The acetylcholine content were paralleled the results of the behavior experiment. The acetylcholine contents of the experimental groups (SME 200 group) was higher than that of control group. We also evaluated expression of VAchT, vesicular acetylcholine transporter. SME was significantly increased VAchT expression on hippocampus of scopolamine-induced dementia rats. We suggest that S. tamariscina might exert a significantly neuro-protective effect on cognitive impairment.