Salvianolic acid A exerts antiamnesic effect on diazepam-induced anterograde amnesia in mice.

Benzodiazepine was known to produce amnesia. Salvianolic acid A extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza was an effective antioxidant. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of salvianolic acid A on diazepam-induced amnesia in mice. C57BL/6 mice were treated with salvianolic acid A at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg following administration with diazepam at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Morris water maze was performed to evaluate the effect of salvianolic acid A on amnesia. The antioxidative parameters in hippocampus were measured. The results showed that salvianolic acid A decreased the mean escape latency and increased the percentage of time spent in target quadrant. Salvianolic acid A reduced the content of malondialdehyde and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in hippocampus. The findings demonstrated that salvianolic acid A had antiamnesic effects on diazepam-induced anterograde amnesia in mice, by augmenting the antioxidative capacity of hippocampus.