Paeoniflorin per-O-benzoates with the preserved pinane structure 2 and rearranged aglycone 3, containing C4 = O function, were obtained and their influence on learning and memory of aged rats was studied in the passive avoidance task. It was found that the chemical modification of paeoniflorin affected the cognitive functions of aged rats. The introduction of C4 = O function into the pinane part of benzoate 3 led to the improvement in learning process and preservation of the memory trace in aged rats as compared to the natural glycoside. This compound can be considered as the promising for further studies on in vivo models of disorders characteristic for Alzheimer's disease.
Keywords: Paeoniflorin; benzoates; passive avoidance task; rats.