Comparison of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 for their effects on improving scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment in mice
Qiong Wang
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou 646000, China
Search for more papers by this authorLi-Hua Sun
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Jia
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Department of Surgery, Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada, V6T 2B5
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xin-Min Liu
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Research Center for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, P. R. ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorHai-Xia Dang
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Search for more papers by this authorNing Wang
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, CRP-Santé, L-1526, Luxembourg
Search for more papers by this authorAndre Steinmetz
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, CRP-Santé, L-1526, Luxembourg
Search for more papers by this authorYu-Qin Wang
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Search for more papers by this authorChang-Jiang Xu
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Search for more papers by this authorQiong Wang
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou 646000, China
Search for more papers by this authorLi-Hua Sun
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Jia
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Department of Surgery, Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada, V6T 2B5
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xin-Min Liu
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Research Center for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, P. R. ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorHai-Xia Dang
Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
Search for more papers by this authorNing Wang
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, CRP-Santé, L-1526, Luxembourg
Search for more papers by this authorAndre Steinmetz
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, CRP-Santé, L-1526, Luxembourg
Search for more papers by this authorYu-Qin Wang
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Search for more papers by this authorChang-Jiang Xu
Shanghai Innovative Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SIRC/TCM), Shanghai 201203, China
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Rg1 and Rb1 are two major active compounds of ginseng that facilitate learning and memory. The present study aimed to compare the nootropic effects of Rg1 and Rb1 in a scopolamine induced dementia mice model. After 6 and 12 mg/kg of Rg1 and Rb1 intraperitoneal administration to mice for 7 days, their effects were assessed using the step-down passive avoidance (SD) and the Morris water maze (MWM) tests, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, acetylcholine (ACh) content and serotonin (5-HT) level in the hippocampus were analysed after SD and MWM tests. The results showed that Rg1 and Rb1 ameliorated cognition-deficiency in mice with dementia. Rg1 showed stronger effects than Rb1 on escape acquisition in MWM. Both Rg1 and Rb1 increased ACh levels in the hippocampus, but Rg1 inhibited AChE activity while Rb1 had no effect on AChE activity. Both Rg1 and Rb1 inhibited the decrease of 5-HT induced by scopolamine, but Rb1 was more active than the same dose of Rg1. These results demonstrate that multiple administrations of Rg1 and Rb1 are effective in improving memory deficiency induced by scopolamine. Rg1 appears to be more potent than Rb1 in improving acquisition impairment, and the two ginsenosides may act through different mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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