The Functional Effect of Kaempferia Parviflora on Ischemic Stroke in Rats

Problem statement: Oxidative stress has been implicated as important factors in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia-induced behavioral deficits particularly memory. Growing attention is being paid to traditional medicinal plants possessing antioxidant activity, as they have been proved therapeutically/prophylactically fruitful against stroke condition. Present study provides evidence of the neroprotective effects of a Thai traditional herb, Kaempferia Parviflora (KP) extract, against oxidative stressrelated brain damage and memory deficit induced by focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Approach: Male Wistar rats were orally given the ethanolic extract of KP at doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg kg^-1 BW once daily continually for 14 days before and 7 days after right Middle Cerebral Artery occlusion (MCAO). Spatial memory was evaluated using the Morris water maze test at 7 days after MCAO and then rats were sacrificed for determining the survival neurons and biochemical markers of lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus. Results: Only KP at 200 mg kg^-1 BW could ameliorate oxidative injuries induced by cerebral ischemia by decreasing the lipid peroxidation leading to the enhanced neuron densities in all areas of hippocampus, which in turn resulted in the improved spatial memory impairment. Conclusion: Overall, KP supplementation may be advantageous to the reduction of oxidative damage and for the improvement of memory deterioration in stroke or vascular dementia.