LAUSR

Abstract Curcumin has been suggested as a candidate for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, a human study has revealed that curcumin enhances cognition in non-demented aged population. Although the neuroprotective effect of curcumin has been shown in some animal models of amnesia, no study has showed its memory improving effect in intact adult animals. This study aimed to assess the effect of curcumin on passive avoidance memory in adult young mice. Additionally, the hippocampal contents of MMP-2, MMP-9 and Akt/GSK3β were determined. Male mice weighing 20–25 g were trained in passive avoidance apparatus. Curcumin 50 or 100 mg/kg/po (according to our initial tests) or its vehicle was administered for 10 days. On day 10 the training was done and the retention trial was performed 24 h later. At the complement of behavioral studies, the hippocampal tissue was isolated and western blot analysis was performed for MMP-2, MMP-9 and Akt/GSK3β. The results indicated that curcumin improved passive avoidance memory. Moreover, it elevated hippocampal MMP-2,9 and p-Akt/t-Akt while it decreased the activated form of GSK-3β. According to these findings, it seems that curcumin improves memory and affects hippocampal MMP-2, MMP-9 and Akt/GSK3β signaling molecules in young adult animals.