Anti-Dementia Activity of Methanolic Extract of Mucuna Pruriens Seeds Against Atropine-Induced Memory Impairment in Albino Rats

Background: Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome affecting memory, cognition and behaviour, with approximately 57 million people affected worldwide.[1] Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form, involves cholinergic dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neuronal degeneration. Current drugs provide mainly symptomatic relief and may cause adverse effects, highlighting interest in plant-derived neuroprotective agents. Mucuna pruriens seeds contain L-DOPA, flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids and saponins with reported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Materials and Methods: Methanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens seeds (MEMPS) was prepared by Soxhlet extraction and subjected to phytochemical screening. Anti-dementia activity was evaluated in atropine-induced memory impairment in Wistar rats (200–220 g; n=6/group). Animals received atropine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) for 7 days with donepezil (3 mg/kg, p.o.) or MEMPS (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.). Memory was assessed on days 1, 2, 4 and 7 using Elevated Plus Maze and Passive Avoidance tests. Results: MEMPS produced dose- and time-dependent improvements in transfer latency and step-through latency compared with the disease control. The 400 mg/kg dose showed effects approaching those of donepezil by day 7. Phytochemical screening revealed alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, glycosides, steroids and carbohydrates. Conclusion: MEMPS demonstrated promising anti-dementia activity against atropine-induced cognitive impairment, potentially through antioxidant and cholinergic mechanisms, warranting further mechanistic, biochemical and toxicological studies.