Background: Diabetic encephalopathy is one of the least focused complications of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). At present, the only feasible and effective treatment available for T1DM is insulin which has got its own limitations. Hence, a noninvasive, effective alternative therapy is very much need of the time.
Aim and Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effects of alcoholic extracts of roots of Salacia reticulata W. (SR), Clitoria ternatea L. (CT) and rearing in enriched environment, on cognition and behavior in juvenile diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced in 25-day-old Wistar rats by streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight [BW], IP) and was randomly selected, allocated into different therapeutic groups (n = 6). Rats were treated with root extracts of SR, CT (100 mg/kg BW each) for 30 days, from days 1 to 20 of diabetes confirmation and reared in enriched cage for 30 days. Then, rats were tested in passive avoidance box and later sacrificed to estimate the gross brain weight.
Results: A statistically significant (P < 0.05) difference was observed between the combined therapy group and diabetic groups of rats, in decreasing fasting blood sugar thus preventing central deficits in preventive group. However, significant improvement was not seen in the curative group.
Conclusions: Alcoholic root extracts of SR and CT, when used in combination with rearing in enriched environment, prevented the deleterious effects of hyperglycemia on developing brain. However, efficacy of the same is limited as preventive therapy but not as curative.
Key words: Anxiety; Cognition; Diabetes Mellitus; Learning; Memory; Streptozotocin; Passive Avoidance
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