Elsevier

Homeopathy

Volume 104, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 24-28
Homeopathy

Original paper
Effect of homeopathic Lycopodium clavatum on memory functions and cerebral blood flow in memory-impaired rats#

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.homp.2014.08.003Get rights and content

Highlights

  • The effect of homeopathic Lycopodium on memory and cerebral blood flow in memory-impaired rats was evaluated.

  • Administration of Lycopodium MT and 200c was associated with improved learning and memory in streptozotocin induced memory impairment in rats.

  • Treatment with Lycopodium MT, 30, 200 and 1000c improved cerebral blood flow in memory-impaired rats.

Background

Lycopodium clavatum (Lyc) is a widely used homeopathic medicine for the liver, urinary and digestive disorders. Recently, acetyl cholinesterase (AchE) inhibitory activity has been found in Lyc alkaloid extract, which could be beneficial in dementia disorder. However, the effect of Lyc has not yet been explored in animal model of memory impairment and on cerebral blood flow.

Aim

The present study was planned to explore the effect of Lyc on learning and memory function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered streptozotocin (STZ) induced memory impairment in rats.

Materials and methods

Memory deficit was induced by ICV administration of STZ (3 mg/kg) in rats on 1st and 3rd day. Male SD rats were treated with Lyc Mother Tincture (MT) 30, 200 and 1000 for 17 days. Learning and memory was evaluated by Morris water maze test on 14th, 15th and 16th day. CBF was measured by Laser Doppler flow meter on 17th day.

Results

STZ (ICV) treated rats showed impairment in learning and memory along with reduced CBF. Lyc MT and 200 showed improvement in learning and memory. There was increased CBF in STZ (ICV) treated rats at all the potencies of Lyc studied.

Conclusion

The above study suggests that Lyc may be used as a drug of choice in condition of memory impairment due to its beneficial effect on CBF.

Introduction

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) carries various factors, mediators, nutrients and metabolites to meet the metabolic demands of brain cells. Neuronal activation favors increase in CBF for the responding local area. However, obstruction in the CBF has been seen associated with cognition deficits. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other types of dementia are associated with reduced CBF due to vascular amyloidosis, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Cerebral microcirculatory impairment, may initiate pathophysiological changes in the progression of AD.1, 2 Relationship between CBF and brain function is further strengthened by the fact that an increase in CBF is associated with improvement of cognitive function. Some herbal products have been found to improve cerebral blood flow and learning and memory. We have shown that Curcumin and Quercetin improved CBF in streptozotocin (STZ) induced memory deficit model.3, 4 Some other plant origin products like cocoa, rich in flavonoid, increased local CBF to grey matter by up to 60% 2–3 h post consumption.5

Lycopodium clavatum (Lyc), known as club moss, is the most widespread species in the genus Lycopodium of the family Lycopodiaceae. Extraction of crushed spores of Lyc as MT and in potentised strength is being used as homeopathic medicine mainly for liver function, urinary and digestive disturbances and also for other abnormalities like rheumatism, epilepsy and pulmonary disorders.6 A study by Calderón et al. (2013) has shown that Lyc has AchE inhibiting activity.7 AChE inhibitor like Donepezil is clinically used for the treatment of AD patients8 Therefore, we hypothesized that Lyc, on account of its AchE inhibiting activity, will be able to improve learning and memory and CBF in experimental model of dementia induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (STZ) in rats.

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of Lyc MT and in potencies (30, 200 and 1000) on learning and memory functions and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered streptozotocin (STZ) induced memory impairment in rats. Various pathological aspects of AD like impaired brain glucose and energy metabolism are closely mimicked in rats when subdiabetogenic dose of streptozotocin (STZ) is administered by ICV route. This leads to progressive deficits in learning and memory and reduction in cerebral blood flow in rats.9

Section snippets

Animals

Male Sprague Dawley rats (220–255 gm) were obtained from Division of Laboratory Animal, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow. Six rats were kept in each polyacrylic cage (22.5 cm–37.5 cm) under standard housing conditions. They were provided with food and water ad libitum (room temperature 24–27°C and humidity 60–65%, 12 h light and dark cycle). All the experimental protocols were approved by Institutional Ethics Committee of CSIR–CDRI as per the guidelines of Committee for the Purpose

Effect of Lycopodium clavatum (MT, 30c, 200c and 1000c) on streptozotocin induced memory impairment in rats

In the present study, in aCSF rats, there was decrease in the latency time of session 2 and 3 as compared to session 1 indicating learning and memory in rats. However, the STZ treated rats showed impairment in learning and memory function as there was no change in the latency time of session 2 and 3 as compared to session 1. The treatment for 17 days with Lyc MT [F (2, 12) = 18.7, p < 0.001] and Lyc 200 [F (2, 12) = 8.05, p < 0.05] reduced latency time in session 2 and 3 as compared to session

Discussion

The present study examined the effect of Lyc on CBF and memory impairment, in STZ (ICV) treated rats. Pretreatment with different potencies of Lyc in STZ administered rats improved CBF and learning and memory functions.

In the present study, administration of STZ in rats caused a persistent memory deficit as evidenced by no significant reduction in latency time and path length in water maze test. This finding is in conformity with our previous studies reporting memory impairment by STZ (ICV)

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgment

We appreciate the financial support from Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), New Delhi.

References (20)

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CSIR-CDRI Communication No: 8798.

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