[CAS NO. 2883-98-9]  alpha-Asarone

Alpha-Asarone treatment alleviates locomotor hyperactivity in Fmr1 KO mice. It improves m1 mAChR expression and up-regulated the ACh levels in the striatum. Its treatment also attenuates the increased striatal AChE activity in Fmr1 KO mice. Alpha-asarone has been reported to have a beneficial effectin cognitive impairment induced by dysfunction of the cholinergicsystem in the brain through inhibition of AChE activity. Of all the doses tested (2, 10, 40, 80 and 120 mg/kg) in rats, 10 mg/kg α-Asarone improves the quality of sleep, as indicated by an increased NREM bout duration, reduced arousal index, and decreased bout frequencies of NREM sleep and wakefulness. A marginal decrease in the hypothalamic and body temperatures is also observed. Higher doses, on the other hand, not only reduce the quantity and quality of sleep, but also produce hypothermia.