Publication: The evaluation of etlingera elatior flower (bunga kantan) aqueous extract (EEAE) effects on cognitive impairment improvement in diabetic rats (pilot study)
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Date
2025-01
Authors
Zeny, Toh
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Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health concern that affects individuals across all countries, sexes, and age groups. It increases the risk of developing multi-organ complications, including cognitive impairment, which is often linked to hyperglycaemia, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, neurovascular dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Although the pharmaceutical antidiabetic drugs are effective in controlling blood glucose levels, they are often associated with various side effects. Hence, the trend of using medicinal plants that contain bioactive compounds to improve diabetes-induced cognitive impairment is increasing due to their minimal side effects and cost-effectiveness. This pilot study aims to evaluate the effects of Etlingera elatior flower aqueous extract (EEAE) on improving cognitive impairment in diabetic rats. Nine Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly separated into three groups (n=3/group): (1) normal control group, (2) diabetic control group, and (3) diabetic treatment group receiving 1000 mg/kg EEAE orally for 6 weeks. The DPPH assay was used to measure the antioxidant activity of EEAE, which showed that EEAE exhibited moderate antioxidant potential. Furthermore, EEAE treatment showed slight improvements in fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels and body mass index (BMI) compared to the diabetic control group. Additionally, it improved all parameters related to spatial learning and memory in the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test Histological examination of brain tissue using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining revealed reduced neuronal degeneration with fewer microglia in the EEAE-treated group. These findings suggest that the antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects could be due to the anthocyanins, a bioactive compound in EEAE. Therefore, it can potentially be developed as a natural therapeutic product in improving diabetes-induced cognitive impairment
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