Effect of Methanolic Extract of Benincasa hispida on Cognitive Function in Experimental Animals

Abstract

The management of cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease has been a significant challenge, as no drugs with established efficacy are currently available. Some nootropic drugs, likepiracetam and aniracetam, have been associated with severe  adverse effects in elderly individuals. In this study, we investigated the potential nootropic properties of methanol fruit extract from Benincasa hispida using various behavioral models. Benincasa hispida was administered orally at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg daily for a duration of five weeks. For comparison, donepezil was used as the positive control at a dose of 3 mg/kg. Notably, the group receiving Benincasa hispida at a dosage of 400 mg/kg exhibited a significantlymemory enhancing effects in the Morris water maze test and passive avoidance test. Moreover, the memory-enhancing effect of Benincasa hispida at 400 mg/kg was found to be on par with that of donepezil at 3 mg/kg in the same test. These findings suggested that the methanolic extract of Benincasa hispida may serve as an effective memory-enhancing agent in the management of dementia, offering a promising avenue for further research and treatment development.