Psychopharmacological assessment of Pfaffia glomerata roots (extract BNT-08) in rodents

A pharmacological assessment of the standardized extract (BNT‐08) of Pfaffia glomerata roots was performed in young mice submitted to acute treatment with several doses (i.p.), in young and old mice submitted to chronic oral treatment for 150 days or with water (control groups) and in old mice at a dose of 100 mg/kg of extract. Acute tests involved an initial screening, spontaneous movements, rota‐rod, barbiturate sleeping time and passive avoidance were carried out. The chronic test involved mortality assessment, body weight and learning and memory in a T‐maze left/right discrimination test and in the passive avoidance model. Of the acute tests only the sleeping time test showed relevant differences between the groups. With the chronic treatment, a relevant decrease of the number of sessions necessary for learning in the group of old mice treated with the extract was evident. A partial reversal of the memory deficit induced by age in the old mice treated with the extract was found in the passive avoidance test. The results suggest that the standardized extract from Pfaffia glomerata roots promoted an increase in both learning and memory of old mice treated in the chronic test. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.