Neurobehavioural enhancement in scopolamine hydrobromide-induced alzheimer type cognitive dysfunction in rats following administration of ethanol seed extract of telfairia occidentalis (Hook.f.) cucurbitaceae

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is a severe, chronic neurodegenerative disease that accounts for about 80% cases of dementia. The disease is characterized by loss of cognitive function, primary memory, judgement and reasoning, movement coordination and pattern recognition. The study assessed neurobehavioural enhancement of scopolamine-induced Alzheimer type cognitive dysfunction in female and male rats, following administration of ethanol extract of Telfairia occidentalis seeds. With ethical approval from the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria (FAREC-FBMS 042ANA3719), thirty Wistar rats weighing between 180-200 g were used for the study and grouped into five. Alzheimer’s type cognitive dysfunction was induced in groups II through V before the extract and drug administration followed by Morris water maze test. The result revealed enhanced learning and memory (p < 0.05) compared to the positive (group II) treated with scopolamine only which may be attributed to the phytochemical components of the ethanol extract of Telfairia occidentalis seeds that may have caused development of more synapses leading to learning and memory improvement. In conclusion, ethanol extract of Telfairia occidentalis seeds enhanced learning and memory in scopolamine hydrobromide-induced Alzheimer type cognitive dysfunction in rats.