Effect of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Supplemented Diets on Cognitive and Biochemical Indices in Diabetic Rats Treated with Acarbose

Abstract

The progression of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been associated with progressive changes in brain structure and function often referred to as “diabetic encephalopathy”, which is characterized by cognitive and neurochemicals dysfunction, and identifiable structural changes on brain imaging. This study investigated effect of diets supplemented with Moringa leaf (ML) and seed (MS) on blood glucose and insulin levels, cognitive dysfunction, neuronal [acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butrylcholinesterase (BChE), ectonucleotidases (NTPdases), adenosine deaminase (ADA), angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE), arginase, monoamine oxidase (MAO)] enzymes, antioxidant indices [catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiol (T-SH) levels], β-secretase, upregulated Caspase-3 expression in diabetic rats treated with/without acarbose (25 mg/kg bwt). Rats were made diabetic (≥250 mg/dl blood glucose) with single dose of streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg bwt. i.p.) and were group based on dietary regimes as follows: normal control (NC), untreated STZ-induced, STZ + ACA, STZ + 2% ML, STZ + ACA + 2% ML, STZ + 4% ML, STZ + ACA + 4% ML, STZ + 2% MS, STZ + ACA + 2% MS, STZ + 4% MS, STZ + ACA + 4% MS. NC, untreated STZ-induced diabetic, and STZ + ACA rats were fed with diets without test samples. The treatment lasted for 14 days. Cognitive functions were altered, and increased blood glucose, insulin and ROS levels, neuronal enzyme activities, caspase-3 expression, coupled with decreased antioxidant status were observed in the brain of untreated STZ-diabetic rats relative to NC rats. However, these were reversed in the diabetic rats fed with supplemented diets, but highly significant in diabetic rats co-treated with ACA and ML/MS supplemented diets, especially 4% ML + ACA when compared. This finding suggest that ML/MS supplemented diet plus ACA could be explored to manage diabetes-induced cognitive dysfunction.