Comparison of 1-(2-naphthyloxymethylcarbonyl) pyrrolidine,PP-20/DPJ,newly synthesized compound with the nootropic drug piracetam in normal and aluminum-induced neurotoxic state

Nootropic drugs like piracetam, oxiracetam, and nifiracetam are used as memory enhancers. They are thought to directly influence the energetic processes in the brain and produce elevated acetylcholine levels, but they lack protecting therapeutic potentials. Thus, there is a continuing effort directed towards developing a new cognition-enhancing agent, which would be more effective than the currently available drugs, and 2-Naphthyloxy derivatives (PP-20/DPJ) were consequently developed. This in vivo study was designed to compare the memory enhancing potential of PP-20/DPJ with the known nootropic agent, piracetam, in aluminum (Al)-induced neurotoxic model. Results indicated that PP-20/DPJ improved the short-term memory and cognitive behaviors similar to piracetam. Further, both the compounds were equally effective in elevating the acetylcholinesterase and Mg⁺-ATPase enzyme activity in both the brain regions after Al treatment. Thus the current study suggests, that PP-20/DPJ acts as both a cognition-enhancing agent and as a metabolic enhancer.