Cognitive enhancing properties of aqueous leaf extract of Vigna unguiculata in ketamine-induced memory damage in mice

Conventional remedies for management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related cognitive deficits are not curative but relieves the symptoms and they cause adverse side effects. Alternatively, use of herbal therapies to manage cognitive illnesses has increased substantially. Vigna unguiculata is commonly utilized for nutritional benefits and management of neurological disorders in herbal medicine. The present study evaluated cognitive enhancing potential of V. unguiculata leaf aqueous extract in mice with ketamine-induced AD-like cognitive deficits. Cognitive performance indicated by step-through latency was assessed using passive avoidance test. Anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) and antioxidant potential of the extract was assessed using brains of the test animals. Further, phytochemical constituents of the extracts were determined using LC-MS. Aqueous extract of V. unguiculata leaf demonstrated significant prowess to combat cognitive deficits in the test animals. This was evidenced by significantly higher (p < 0.001) step-through latencies in extract-treated mice than the untreated cognitively damaged mice. Moreover, cognitively damaged mice given the studied extract exhibited significantly less (p < 0.001) malondialdehyde levels and acetylcholinesterase activity than the negative control mice. This result confirmed antioxidant and anti-AChE properties of V. unguiculata, indicating its potential to attenuate oxidative stress in the brain and augment cholinergic transmission. Notably, some conventional therapies for cognitive disorders especially AD are AChE inhibitors. The studied extract contained phytocompounds such as flavonoids and phenolics with confirmed antioxidant and anti-AChE activities, thus, its cognitive enhancing efficacy could be attributed to these phytoconstituents. Collectively, this study upholds V. ungiculata usefulness in management of cognitive illnesses.