Acute application of Centella asiatica extract enhanced AMPAR-mediated postsynaptic currents in rat entorhinal cortex

• Published in: Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
• Main Author: Wong J.H.; Reza F.; Muthuraju S.; Chuang H.G.; Zhang J.; Senik M.H.; Yusof S.R.; Mohamad H.; Muhammad T.S.T.; Ismail N.H.; Abdullah J.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IMR Press Limited 2020
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85088504066&doi=10.31083%2fj.jin.2020.02.50&partnerID=40&md5=1387fe18cbcec4d8fc939ee086be2bb3

Centella asiatica is notable for its wide range of biological activities beneficial to human health, particularly its cognitive enhancement and neuroprotective effects. The-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors are ionotropic glutamate receptors mediating fast excitatory neurotransmission essential in long-Term potentiation widely thought to be the cellular mechanism of learning and memory. The method of whole-cell patch-clamp was used to study the effect of the acute application of Centella asiatica extract on the-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor-mediated spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in the entorhinal cortex of rat brain slices. The respective low dose of test compounds significantly increased the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents while having no significant effects on the frequency. The findings suggested that Centella asiatica extract increased the response of-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors at the postsynaptic level, revealing the potential role of Centella asiatica in modulating the glutamatergic responses in the entorhinal cortex of rat brain slices to produce cognitive enhancement effects. © 2020 IMR Press Limited. All rights reserved.