Journal of Ethnopharmacology 134 (2011) 203–209 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Ethnopharmacology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm Effects of asiatic acid on passive and active avoidance task in male Spraque–Dawley rats M.N. Nasir a,b,∗ , M. Habsah d , I. Zamzuri a , G. Rammes e,f , J. Hasnan c , J. Abdullah a a Department of Neurosciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia c Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia d Department of Chemistry, Faculty Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia e Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Neuropharmacology, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany f Department of Anaesthesiology, Technical University, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Ismaningerstrasse 22, 80804 Munich, Germany article info Article history: Received 10 August 2010 Received in revised form 5 November 2010 Accepted 3 December 2010 Available online 15 December 2010 Keywords: Asiatic acid Passive avoidance Active avoidance Blood pressure abstract Aim of the Study: Centella asiatica has a reputation to restore declining cognitive function in traditional medicine. To date, only a few compounds that show enhancing learning and memory properties are available. Therefore, the present study investigates the effects of for acute administration of asiatic acid (A-A) isolated from Centella asiatica administration on memory and learning in male Spraque–Dawley rats. Materials and Methods: 4–5 weeks Spraque–Dawley rats were administered with concentration 1, 3, 5, 10, 30 mg/kg of A-A, baclofen, scopolamine and saline intra peritoneally and were evaluated for passive avoidance (PA), active avoidance (AA) and changes in blood pressure (BP). Results: Treatment 30 mg/kg of A-A resulted in significantly dose-dependently improved memory, with increased retention latency to enter difference compartment in PA test compared to baclofen, saline and scopolamine. Furthermore, 30 mg/kg of A-A was significantly higher on learning abilities on 1st day but there was no significantly difference on avoidance memory ability after 7 days of retention. Low reading in blood pressure dose-dependent significantly difference was observed in the 30 mg/kg of A-A group compared to saline group. Conclusions: Administration A-A facilitated PA and AA on memory and learning and but had no effect on active avoidance on memory. Hence, may serve useful memory and learning with less effect in blood pressure in promoting memory and learning increases. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The most consistent features of Alzheimer’s disease are cholin- ergic deficits (Francis et al., 1999; Frolich, 2002) including: (i) decreased numbers of cholinergic neurons in the basal fore- brain nuclei; (ii) decreased acetylcholine (ACh) production; (iii) enhanced levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE); and (iv) reduced Abbreviations: ACh, acetylcholine; AChE, acetylcholinesterase; AA, active avoidance; A-A, asiatic acid; ChAT, cholineacetyltransferase; CC, column chro- matography; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; GABA A , gamma-aminobutyric acid A; GABAB, gamma-aminobutyric acid B; IR spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy; I.P., intra-peritoneal; MeOH, methanol; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; PA, passive avoidance; SEM, standard error min; STL, step-through latency; TDC, time dark com- partment; TLC, thin layer chromatography; UMT, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu; USM, Universiti Sains Malaysia. ∗ Corresponding author at: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia. Tel.: +60 129670004. E-mail address: nasir neuro@yahoo.com (M.N. Nasir). levels of cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT) in the frontal and tem- poral cortices. As such, treatment strategies have focused on replacement therapy for deficits in central cholinergic neurotrans- mission (Davidson et al., 1991; Palmer, 2002) which result in loss of ability to recall memory and process of formation of new memory and learning. Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. (Apiaceae), is a slender and creeping perennial herbal plant with weak aroma used by diverse ancient people from different cultures in Malaysia and other Asian coun- tries. Centella asiatica is considered as a vital herb in Ayurveda, the traditional science of health in India, used to stimulating learn- ing and memory (Stafford et al., 2008). Previous studies indicated that whole plant of Centella asiatica has been shown to be benefi- cial in improving memory (Vaidyaratnam, 1994) and it is reported to improve general mental ability of mentally retarded children (Apparao et al., 1973; Kakkar, 1990) using extracted of Centella asiatica. Furthermore, the fresh leaf juice improves passive avoid- ance (PA) task in rats (Nalini et al., 1992). These result support that Centella asiatica can enhance memory and learning. Analyti- 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.12.010