Effects of red ginseng saponins and nootropic drugs on impaired acquisition of ethanol-treated rats in passive avoidance performance

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology 2000, Vol.69 (1), p.1-8
• Main Authors: Lee, Soon-Chul, Moon, Yang-Sun, You, Kwan-Hee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquisition; alpha-Methyltyrosine - pharmacology; Amnesia - chemically induced; Animals; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Interactions; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Ethanol; Ethanol - adverse effects; Fenclonine - pharmacology; General pharmacology; Male; Medical sciences; Meglumine - analogs & derivatives; Meglumine - pharmacology; Nootropic Agents - pharmacology; Nootropic drug; Panax - chemistry; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Piracetam - pharmacology; Plants, Medicinal; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Red ginseng total saponin; Repeated administration; Saponins - pharmacology; Serotonin Antagonists - pharmacology; Time Factors; α-Methyl-ρ-tyrosine
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00078-1

Effects of single and repeated administration of red ginseng total saponins (ROTS) and nootropic drugs were examined on impairment of acquisition induced by single oral administration of 3 g/kg ethanol (EtOH) in a step through test. The inhibitory effect of EtOH on acquisition was significantly reduced following single or repeated RGTS administration. The nootropic drugs, piracetam and N-methyl- d-glucamine, given orally significantly reduced impairment of acquisition induced by EtOH. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of repeated RGTS on the EtOH-induced amnesia was blocked by the pretreatment of α-methyl-ρ-tyrosine (α-MT), an inhibitor of catecholamine synthesis, in a dose-dependent manner but not ρ-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis, whereas the inhibitory effect of repeated N-methyl- d-glucamine on the EtOH-induced amnesia was blocked neither by α-MT nor PCPA. These results suggest that repeated RGTS and N-methyl- d-glucamine ameliorate the impairing effect of EtOH on acquisition, and the effect of RGTS on EtOH-induced amnesia is dependent on the catecholaminergic but not serotonergic neuronal activity, while RGTS and N-methyl- d-glucamine seem to have a different mechanism on EtOH-induced amnesia.