Effects of butternut squash extract on dentate gyrus cell proliferation and spatial learning in male adult rats

作     者：Mohsen Marzban Sara Soleimani Asl Hassan Fallah Huseini Mahdi Tondar Samira Choopani Mehdi Mehdizadeh 

作者机构：M.Sc of Anatomical SciencesTehran University of Medical Sciences Anatomical DepartmentMedicine FacultyHamedan University of Medical Sciences Institute of Medicinal PlantsJihad University (ACECR)Tehran Young Researcher ClubTehran Physiological & Pharmacological DepartmentPasture InstituteTehran Research Institute for Islamic and Complementary Medicine (RICM)Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehran Anatomical DepartmentMedicine FacultyTehran University of Medical SciencesTehran 

出 版 物：《Neural Regeneration Research》 (中国神经再生研究（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2011年第6卷第24期

页      面：1855-1859页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 1008[医学-中药学(可授医学、理学学位)] 1006[医学-中西医结合] 1002[医学-临床医学] 1001[医学-基础医学(可授医学、理学学位)] 100602[医学-中西医结合临床] 10[医学] 

基　　金：a grant from the Research Institute for Islamic and Complementary Medicine (RICM) Tehran University of Medical Sciences No. p26/m/t/1088 

主　　题：butternut squash spatial learning and memory cell proliferation dentate gyrus 

摘      要：Previous studies reported that some plants, including butternut squash, exert positive effects on the brain. However, few studies have examined the effects of butternut squash on learning, memory, and neurogenesis. This study studied the effects of butternut squash extract on spatial learning and cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus of healthy male rats. Thirty-five male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with 0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg butternut squash extract once daily for 2 months. After the last administration, rat＇s spatial memory was studied using the Morris water maze. Finally, rats were sacrificed and hippocampal sections were prepared for light microscopy and bromodeoxyuridine immunohistochemistry studies. The results revealed that escape latency and swim distance decreased in all treatment groups compared with the control rats, and that the number of bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells in the dentate gyrus was significantly increased in the treatment groups compared with the controls. These findings suggest that butternut squash extract improves the learning and memory abilities of male rats, and increases the proliferation of dentate gyrus cells.