Objective:To investigate the effect of Lepidium meyenii lipid-soluble extract on the decline of the learning and memory ability of sleep deprived mice

and analyze the lipid-soluble extract. Method:Totally 48 male Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 groups

large platform control group

sleep deprivation group

low dose group of L. meyenii lipid-soluble extract (60 mg·kg-1) and high dose group of L. meyenii lipid-soluble extract (200 mg·kg-1)

they were administrated by lavage for 16 days. On the 13th day

a small platform was used to establish sleep deprivation (SD) model in mice. The ability of learning and memory was tested by channel maze after SD 24

48

72 h

and pathological changes of brains were observed after SD 72 h. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA)

the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in cerebrum were measured. The components of L. meyenii lipid-soluble extract were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Result:Compared with a large platform

the latency to swim out of the water maze and the error times of blind ends increased significantly in the sleep deprivation group (P<0.05). Supplementation with L. meyenii lipid-soluble extract (200 mg·kg-1) could reduce the latency to swim out of the water maze significantly (P<0.05) and the error times of blind ends. Moreover

the levels of MDA reduced significantly (P<0.01)

the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in cerebrum returned to normal. And the damage of hippocampal structures decreased. Conclusion:Supplementation with L. meyenii lipid-soluble extract which contained macamides can improve learning and memory ability and decrease the damage of hippocampal structures in sleep deprived mice

and the mechanism may be correlated with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.