[Effect of improving memory and inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity by invigorating-qi and warming-yang recipe]

Invigorating-Qi and Warming-Yang (IQWY) had a good curative effect to some senile diseases such as senile dementia, senile hypomnesia etc. This experiment was designed for probing into the therapeutical mechanism of IQWY recipe. BALB/C pure bred mice were divided into five groups. Group I was taken per os of invigorating Qi (IQ), Group II warming Yang (WY), Group III IQWY drugs, Group IV was dysmnesia model, and Group V blank control group injected with normal saline only. All groups except Group V were injected scopolamine (5mg/kg) intraperitoneally to induce dysmnesia model after medication. IQ drug consisted of Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Poria cocos, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, WY drug of Cynomorium songoricum, Epimedium brevicornum and Cuscuta chinensis, while IQWY recipe consisted of both IQ and WY drugs. The results showed that IQ, WY and IQWY had an evident antagonistic action to Scopolamine induced dysmnesia mice, and could improve their memory. The erroneous times of the animal's reaction in Group I, II and III were less than those in Group IV, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01. Acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in the mice could be inhibited by IQ, WY and IQWY also. The activity in Group I, II and III was less than that in Group IV and V, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01. The therapeutic mechanism of IQWY was in connection with its effect to M-cholinergic transmitters of central nervous system.