[Anti-amnesic effect of prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors in mice]

Based on the results of a previous report that prolyl endopeptidase (PPCE) inhibitors facilitated the acquisition of active avoidance response and retarded the extinction of the response, further studies were made on the effect of PPCE inhibitors on learning and the memory process. Using mice, tests were performed both in the light-dark discrimination Y-maze task and the lever-press task of the water reinforcement schedule, and mice were also tested in the acquisition and retention of one-trial "step-through" passive avoidance task. The effect of PPCE inhibitors were investigated both in control and electroconvulsive shock- or scopolamine-induced amnesic animals. Z-Pro-p, the most potent inhibitor among 5 compounds tested in this study, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) facilitated the learning process and retarded the extinction of the acquired response in all tests. Suc-Pro-p was also effective in the Y-maze and passive avoidance test. Thus, the effect of the test compounds were parallel with their in vitro activities as PPCE inhibitor. These results suggest that the anti-amnesic effect of PPCE inhibitors is partially attributable to their effect on the breakdown of the biologically active peptides which are involved in the memory process, such as AVP, in the brain.