Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the effects of total flavone in Portulacaoleracea L.(POTF) on learning and memory of mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caused by Aβ_25-35.Sixty mice were divided randomly into six groups:sham operation group,model group,high,medium and low dose of POTF treatment groups.AD mice were established by hippocampal injection of Aβ_25-35.Different concentrations of POTF were treated for 30 days.Morris water maze was used to test the spatial learning and memory ability in each group.Hydroxylamine and spectrophotometer were used for the activities of Ach and AchE in hippocampus,respectively.Expression of CREB mRNA and protein was detected by qPCR and Western blot.The results showed that compared with sham group,the spatial learning and memory in model group was significantly decreased (P<0.01),the levels of Ach,AchE and CREB were also decreased (P<0.05).Compared with model group,mice treated with high dose of POTF showed much less latency (P<0.01) and increased times across platform (P<0.01) in Morris water maze,and higher levels of Ach,AchE and CREB mRNA and protein in hippocampus in different degree (P<0.05 or P<0.01).In conclusion,POTF has a protective effect on the learning and memory of AD mice by enhancing the metabolism of Ach and CREB pathway in hippocampus.

Key words: Portulacaoleracea L., total flavone, Alzheimer&rsquo, s disease, learning and memory