Planta Med. 2002 Oct; 68(10): 901-5.

Effects of puerarin on scopolamine-, mecamylamine-, p-chloroamphetamine- and dizocilpine-induced inhibitory avoidance performance impairment in rats.

Hsieh MT, Kuo LH, Tsai FH, Wang WH, Wu CR.

Institute of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Medical College, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.

Puerarin at 10-50 mg/kg attenuated the mecamylamine- but not scopolamine-induced acquisition impairment of inhibitory avoidance performance in an inverse U-shape manner. p-Chloroamphetamine- and dizocilpine-induced acquisition impairment were reversed by puerarin at 25-50 mg/kg. Both piracetam, and tacrine attenuated impairment of inhibitory avoidance performance induced by all used drugs. Furthermore, puerarin, piracetam and tacrine alone did not alter step-through latency in the training trail but puerarin at 50 mg/kg and tacrine plus mecamylamine prolonged it in comparison with mecamylamine alone. From these results, we suggest that puerarin attenuated the deficits of inhibitory avoidance performance induced by mecamylamine, p-chloroamphetamine, and dizocilpine, the effects were related to increasing cholinergic activity via nicotinic but not muscarinic receptors, activating NMDA receptors, and decreasing serotonergic neuronal activity.