Background:
Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. (Family: Fabaceae) has been known to very useful medicinal plant in
the Traditional Medicinal Systems from the centuries. With ethnopharmacological values, it is well-reported plant for their
traditional uses for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anxiolytic, expectorant activities, and antidepressant activities.
Objective:
Although it is described for memory enhancing activity, the present study was focused to examine the comparative effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra extracts viz. flavonoid rich (GGFE) and glycyrrhizin rich (GGGE) in stress triggered
rats and to provide future research insight for this herbal drug, for which no scientific justification has been reported till
now.
Methods:
Male Wister rats divided into 7 different groups (n= 6 per group) were given chronic foot-shock stress for 21
successive days with scheduled administration of the extracts (50 and 100 mg/kg) and standard drug (10 mg/kg) for 28
days. Elevated Plus Maze, Rectangular Maze, Morris Water Maze, and Locomotor activity were performed to test behavioral alteration and learning ability of stressed rats. Further, rats were sacrificed to assay acetylcholinesterase activity and
antioxidant activity in brain samples for the mechanistic role in learning and memory.
Results:
Extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra were indicated a significant alteration in stress induced learning and memory deficiency in behavioral parameters studied. These extracts were also modulated significant changes in acetylcholinesterase
and antioxidant enzyme activity to improve the learning and memory of stressed rats.
Conclusions:
It is concluded that both extracts of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GGFE and GGGE) possess memory enhancing
property in stress triggered rats. Moreover, these comparative results provided information and confirmed the high potential of GGGE in comparison to GGFE might be due to rich glycyrrhizin content present in GGGE responsible for acetylcholinesterase and antioxidant enzyme modulatory activity. Therefore, GGGE could be used as a promising lead for further mechanistic and molecular study for defining the role of glycyrrhizin of Glycyrrhiza glabra.
