BACKGROUND AND AIM: Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (Apiaceae) is a renowned medicinal plant being used in the Ayurvedic system for its pharmacological effects on the central nervous system such as rejuvenating, sedative, anxiolytic and memory-enhancing properties. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Centella asiatica (CA) extract on inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and resulting changes in cognitive behavior.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups as control, LPS, CA and LPS + CA. The treatments with LPS (5 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally (i.p) injected on day 4 and CA ethanol extract (200 mg/kg) were given orally for 14 days. Morris Water Maze (MWM) test was performed to assess spatial learning and memory performance. Acute oral toxicity of the extract at the highest dose of 5000 mg/kg was also conducted.
RESULTS: Single administration of LPS was able to significantly elicit learning and memory impairment (p
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.