Effects of Scutellaria baicalensis on neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and on spatial memory of adult rats

Abstract

We investigated the effects of ethanol extracted Scutellaria baicalensis (EESB) on spatial memory function and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg of EESB for 6 successive days. The radial-arm maze test showed that 200 mg/kg of EESB improved the spatial memory of adult rats. Confocal microscopy results showed that 100 mg/kg of EESB increased the number of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)- and neuron-specific nuclear protein-positive cells in the granular cell layer, and that 100 and 200 mg/kg of EESB increased the number of BrdU-/neuron-specific nuclear protein-positive cells in the sub-granular zone. 200 mg/kg of EESB increased the number of BrdU-/glial fibrillary acid protein-positive cells in the subgranular zone. These findings indicate that EESB can effectively promote neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and improve spatial memory function.