Abstract: Our aim in this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of water soluble flavonoids from Coreopsis tinctoria flowers (CTWF) on learning and memory ability in D-galactose-induced aging mice. Specific pathogen-free (SPF) Kunming mice were randomly divided into control, aging model, VE (50 mg/(kg·d)), and CTWF low- and high-dose groups (150 and 600 mg/(kg·d)). The mice in the control group were injected subcutaneously with normal saline while the mice in the other groups were successively injected with D-galactose (300 g/(kg·d)) for 42 days. At 1 hour after injection, the drug treatment groups were intragastrically administrated with VE and different dosage of CTWF while the mice from the control and model groups were administrated with an equal volume of normal saline. Learning and memory abilities were detected by Morris water maze test, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and acetylcholine (Ach) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in brain tissues were measured. Results showed that CTWF significantly improved the learning and memory abilities of aging mice (P < 0.05), elevated SOD and GSH-Px activities and Ach content (P < 0.05), and reduced AchE activity and MDA content (P < 0.05). In conclusion, CTWF has a significant effect on improving D-galactose-induced learning and memory disorders in mice, and its mechanism may be related to enhanced cholinergic system function and reduced free radical-induced damage in brain tissues of mice.

Key words: water soluble flavonoids from Coreopsis tinctoria flowers, learning and memory abilities, acetylcholine, superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde