Steamed Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) Juice Improves Spatial Memory in Dementia Rat Model
http://repository.uhamka.ac.id/852/
Maifitrianti, Maifitrianti
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.) is one of the fruits that containing lycopene. Lycopene is able to
reduce oxidative damage that causes dementia. This research was aimed to determine the activity of steamed
watermelon juice in improving the spatial memory in dementia rats model induced by Electroconvulsive
Shock (ECS). The animal test was divided into 6 groups, namely normal control group, negative control
group, positive control group (vitamin E, 20.7 mg/kg BW), and 3 treatment groups that received steamed
watermelon juice with different dose, i.e 0.92 g/kg BW,1.85 g/kg BW, and 3.7 g/kg BW. All groups were
induced with ECS, except for the normal control group. The spatial memory was measured with the Radial
Arm Maze (RAM) test and the observed results were analyzed with ANOVA and a post-hoc Tukey’s HSD test.
The ANOVA test results showed significant differences between all treatment groups. Meanwhile, the posthoc
Tukey’s HSD test at 95% confidence level resulted in a significant difference between the the treatment
groups with the doses of 0.92 g/kg BW and 1.85 g/kg BW and the negative control group. However, this
test indicated an insignificant difference between the positive control group and the normal control group.
This finding confirms that the administration of steamed watermelon juice at doses of 0.92 g/kg BW and
1.85 g/kg BW improves the spatial memory in a rat mode of dementia comparable to the positive control.
The treatment groups receiving these two doses showed corresponding results, meaning that both doses of
steamed watermelon juice have an equivalent spatial memory enhancement activity.
http://repository.uhamka.ac.id/852/1/Steamed%20Watermelon%20%28Citrullus%20lanatus-05012020.pdf
