Valeriana officinalis extract and its main component, valerenic acid, ameliorate d-galactose-induced reductions in memory, cell proliferation, and neuroblast differentiation by reducing corticosterone levels and lipid peroxidation

Valeriana officinalis is used in herbal medicine of many cultures as mild sedatives and tranquilizers. In this study, we investigated the effects of extract from valerian root extracts and its major component, valerenic acid on memory function, cell proliferation, neuroblast differentiation, serum corticosterone, and lipid peroxidation in adult and aged mice. For the aging model, d-galactose (100mg/kg) was administered subcutaneously to 6-week-old male mice for 10weeks. At 13weeks of age, valerian root extracts (100mg/kg) or valerenic acid (340μg/kg) was administered orally to control and d-galactose-treated mice for 3weeks. The dosage of valerenic acid (340μg/kg), which is the active ingredient of valerian root extract, was determined by the content of valerenic acid in valerian root extract (3.401±0.066mg/g) measured by HPLC. The administration of valerian root extract and valerenic acid significantly improved the preferential exploration of new objects in novel object recognition test and the escape latency, swimming speeds, platform crossings, and spatial preference for the target quadrant in Morris water maze test compared to the d-galactose-treated mice. Cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation were significantly decreased, while serum corticosterone level and lipid peroxidation in hippocampus were significantly increased in the d-galactose-treated group compared to that in the control group. The administration of valerian root extract significantly ameliorated these changes in the dentate gyrus of both control and d-galactose-treated groups. In addition, valerenic acid also mitigated the d-galactose-induced reduction of these changes. These results indicate that valerian root extract and valerenic acid enhance cognitive function, promote cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation, and reduce serum corticosterone and lipid peroxidation in aged mice. •Valerian root extract (VE) has 3.401mg/g valerenic acid (VAL, an active ingredient).•VE and VAL improve the memory deficits induced by d-galactose.•VE and VAL ameliorated the reduction of neurogenesis induced by d-galactose.•VE and VAL decrease the serum corticosterone and lipid peroxidation in brain.