Phytochemical analysis and evaluation of memory enhancing effects of standardised Grewia asiatica berry extract in scopolamine-induced amnesia rat model of Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterised by memory loss and cognitive decline, with limited effective treatments. This study explores the memory-enhancing potential of a polyphenol-rich extract (PE) derived from Grewia asiatica L. berries. The study aims to standardise the extract and assess its potential for preventing neurodegeneration. The deseeded berry mass was extracted in the acidified methanol (0.1 % formic acid) to get PE. The PE exhibited to contain total phenolics of about 13.2±0.265 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per gram and 10.71±0.688 mg quercetin equivalents (QE) per gram—total flavonoids, whereas the anthocyanin content was 2240.83±2.22 mg cyd-3-glu E/L. Two high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) methods were developed: one for fingerprinting anthocyanins and the other for estimating epigallocatechin gallate and gallic acid content in PE. It demonstrated significant antioxidant activity and acetylcholinesterase inhibition in in vitro assays. In a scopolamine-induced amnesia rat model, PE improved cognitive function, as evidenced by reduced transfer latency in the elevated plus maze and an increased discrimination index in the novel object recognition test. Thus, this study enhances scientific knowledge in quality assessment and suggests that G. asiatica berries could serve as a potential functional food or therapeutic adjunct for mitigating AD progression.