Resumen:
n the present paper it was investigated the role of sauroxine, an alkaloid of Phlegmariurus saururus, as amodulator of some types of learning and memory, considering the potential nootropic propertiespreviously reported for the alkaloid extract and the main alkaloid sauroine. Sauroxine was isolated bymeans of an alkaline extraction, purified by several chromatographic techniques, and assayed inelectrophysiological experiments on rat hippocampus slices, tending towards the elicitation of the longtermpotentiation (LTP) phenomena. It was also studied the effects of intrahippocampal administration ofsauroxine on memory retention in vivo using a Step-down test. Being the bio distribution of a drug animportant parameter to be considered, the concentration of sauroxine in rat brain was determined byGLC?MS. Sauroxine blocked LTP generation at both doses used, 3.65 and 3.6102mM. In the behavioraltest, the animals injected with this alkaloid (3.65103 nmol) exhibited a significant decrease on me