Background

Clitoria ternatea (CT) is an herbal plant that has been used as a memory booster in folk medicine. CT root extract has been proven to restore chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH)-induced memory deficits in a rat model, but the underlying mechanisms and the toxicity profile following repeated exposure have yet to be explored.

The aim of the study

To investigate the effects of the chronic (28 days) oral administration of CT root extract on CCH-induced cognitive impairment, neuronal damage and cholinergic deficit, and its toxicity profile in the CCH rat model.

Materials and methods

The permanent bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries (PBOCCA) surgery method was employed to develop a CCH model in male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Then, these rats were given oral administration of CT root extract at doses of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg, respectively for 28 days and subjected to behavioural tests. At the end of the experiment, the brain was harvested for histological analysis and cholinesterase activities. Then, blood samples were collected and organs such as liver, kidney, lung, heart, and spleen were procured for toxicity assessment.

Results

Chronic treatment of CT root extract at doses of 200 and 300 mg/kg, restored memory impairments induced by CCH. CT root extract was also found to diminish CCH-induced neuronal damage in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. High dose (300 mg/kg) of the CT root extract was significantly inhibited the increased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the PBOCCA rats. In toxicity study, repeated doses of CT root extract were found to be safe in PBOCCA rats after 28 days of treatment.

Conclusions

Our findings provided scientific evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of CT root extract in the treatment of vascular dementia (VaD)-related cholinergic abnormalities and subsequent cognitive decline.

中文翻译：

---

Clitoria ternatea Linn 的促智和抗胆碱酯酶活性。根提取物：认知能力下降的潜在治疗方法。

背景

Clitoria ternatea (CT) 是一种草药植物，在民间医学中被用作记忆增强剂。CT 根提取物已被证明可以恢复大鼠模型中慢性脑灌注不足 (CCH) 诱导的记忆缺陷，但其潜在机制和重复暴露后的毒性特征尚待探索。

研究目的

研究长期（28 天）口服 CT 根提取物对 CCH 诱导的认知障碍、神经元损伤和胆碱能缺陷的影响，及其在 CCH 大鼠模型中的毒性特征。

材料和方法

采用双侧颈总动脉永久闭塞 (PBOCCA) 手术方法在雄性 Sprague Dawley (SD) 大鼠中建立 CCH 模型。然后，这些大鼠分别以 100、200 和 300 mg/kg 的剂量口服 CT 根提取物，持续 28 天，并进行行为测试。在实验结束时，收获大脑用于组织学分析和胆碱酯酶活性。然后，采集血液样本，并获取肝脏、肾脏、肺、心脏和脾脏等器官进行毒性评估。

结果

以 200 和 300 mg/kg 的剂量长期治疗 CT 根提取物，恢复了 CCH 诱导的记忆障碍。还发现 CT 根提取物可以减少海马 CA1 区 CCH 诱导的神经元损伤。高剂量 (300 mg/kg) 的 CT 根提取物显着抑制了 PBOCCA 大鼠额叶皮层和海马中乙酰胆碱酯酶 (AChE) 活性的增加。在毒性研究中，发现重复剂量的 CT 根提取物在治疗 28 天后对 PBOCCA 大鼠是安全的。

结论

我们的研究结果提供了科学证据，支持 CT 根提取物在治疗血管性痴呆 (VaD) 相关的胆碱能异常和随后的认知能力下降方面的治疗潜力。