Memory Enhancement of Acteoside (Verbascoside) in a Senescent Mice Model Induced by a Combination of d‐gal and AlCl3

Acteoside, also known as verbascoside or orobanchin, is a common compound found in many important medicinal plants including the Chinese herb Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma, which is used for its neuroprotective and memory enhancement properties. We have investigated the effects of acteoside using a senescent mouse model induced by a combination of chronic intraperitoneal administration of d ‐gal (60 mg/kg/day) and oral administration AlCl 3 (5 mg/kg/day) once daily for 90 days. After 60 days, acteoside (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/day) was orally administered once daily for 30 days. The memory enhancing effects of acteoside were evaluated using the Morris water maze test. The results showed that 30–120 mg/kg/day of acteoside reduced the escape latency in finding the platform, and increased the number of crossings of the platform. A 30–120 mg/kg/day of acteoside increased significantly the expression of nerve growth factor and tropomycin receptor kinase A mRNA and protein in the hippocampus, measured using real‐time RT‐PCR, immunohistochemical analysis, and western blotting. These results support the use of C . deserticola for memory enhancement and indicate that the effects of acteoside are induced via promotion of nerve growth factor and tropomycin receptor kinase A expression. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.