Mulberry Fruits Extract Mitigate Vascular Dementia

Abstract

To date, Vascular Dementia (VaD) is the second most commonly found dementia following Alzheimer�s disease. Though VaD is still increasing its importance, the therapeutic efficacy is still not in satisfaction level. Therefore, the searching for an acceptable cheap and safe neuroprotective agent is in a great demand. Based on the neuroprotective and cognitive enhancing effects in alcohol neurotoxicity of mulberry fruits, we hypothesized that mulberry fruits might attenuate memory impairment and brain damage in vascular dementia. Therefore, this study was set up to determine the effects and possible mechanism of actions of mulberry fruits. Male Wistar rats had been orally given mulberry fruits at doses of 2,10 and 50 mg.kg^-1 BW for 7 days before and 21 days after the occlusion of right Middle Cerebral Artery (Rt. MCAO). Rats were evaluated spatial memory using Morris water maze every 7 days after Rt.MCAO throughout 21-day experimental period, then they were sacrificed for determined the density of cholinergic neuron in hippocampus and determine acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) enzyme, a key enzyme indicating Acetylcholine (ACh) turnover in hippocampus and assessment of brain infarction volume The results show that the mulberry fruits extract significantly improved memory performance in Morris water maze test, number of cholinergic neurons and decrease the level of acetyl cholinesterase activity. The mulberry fruit extract is the potential neuroprotective agent and cognitive enhancing fruits. However, further researches are required identify the possible active ingredient and precise underlying mechanism.