Background: Treatment of memory impairment associated with dementia such as Alzheimer's disease is still inadequate and requires development of new drugs.
Objective: The objective was to evaluate the memory enhancing effect of Celastrus paniculatus seed oil.
Materials and methods: C. paniculatus seed oil was mixed with equal amount of pure ghee and administered orally to mice in the dose of 200 mg/kg/day. Piracetam was used as a standard nootropic. Elevated plus maze and passive avoidance tests were used as a models to test spatial and fear memory respectively. Scopolamine (3 mg/kg, i.p.), was used as an amnestic agent.
Results: Mice receiving C. paniculatus showed significant memory enhancement as compared to scopolamine group. The effect of C. paniculatus and combination of C. paniculatus with piracetam was comparable to that with piracetam alone.
Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that C. paniculatus seed oil has memory enhancing effect and hence can be developed as a potential drug in the treatment of dementia.
Keywords: Ayurveda; Celastrus paniculatus; elevated plus maze; passive avoidance test; piracetam.