The Effect of Ethanol Extract of Beta vulgaris Leaves on Rats with Scopolamine-Induced Cognitive Deficiency

Abstract

Background: The current study evaluated the effect of ethanol extract of Beta vulgaris leaves on scopolamine-induced memory impairments. Methods: Animals were randomly divided into five groups including 10 rats. The control group received distillated water, the scopolamine group received scopolamine (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (IP) daily for 15 days. The extract-treated groups received B. vulgaris leaves extract at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg IP 30 minutes after administration of scopolamine. After a 15-day treatment, passive avoidance memory, brain antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) level were evaluated in each rat. Results: Scopolamine-treated rats showed shorter step-through latency (STL) than the control rats, but not significantly (P > 0.05). Groups treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg of B. vulgaris leaf extract had significantly longer STL than scopolamine-treated rats (P < 0.05). Administration of B. vulgaris leaf extract (200 mg/kg) into scopolamine-treated rats significantly improved brain antioxidant capacity. Conclusions: The results of the current study indicated that the ethanol B. vulgaris extract at 200 mg/kg showed positive activity against the adverse effects of scopolamine.