Cerebrolysin Ameloriates Cognitive Deficits in Type III Diabetic Rats

PLoS One. 2013 Jun 19;8(6):e64847. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064847. Print 2013.

Abstract

Cerebrolysin (CBL), a mixture of several active peptide fragments and neurotrophic factors including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is currently used in the management of cognitive alterations in patients with dementia. Since Cognitive decline as well as increased dementia are strongly associated with diabetes and previous studies addressed the protective effect of BDNF in metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes; hence this work aimed to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effect of CBL in modulating the complications of hyperglycaemia experimentally induced by streptozotocin (STZ) on the rat brain hippocampus. To this end, male adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into (i) vehicle- (ii) CBL- and (iii) STZ diabetic-control as well as (iv) STZ+CBL groups. Diabetes was confirmed by hyperglycemia and elevated glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c%), which were associated by weight loss, elevated tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and decreased insulin growth factor (IGF)-1β in the serum. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia caused learning and memory impairments that corroborated degenerative changes, neuronal loss and expression of caspase (Casp)-3 in the hippocampal area of STZ-diabetic rats. Behavioral deficits were associated by decreased hippocampal glutamate (GLU), glycine, serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine. Moreover, diabetic rats showed an increase in hippocampal nitric oxide and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances versus decreased non-protein sulfhydryls. Though CBL did not affect STZ-induced hyperglycemia, it partly improved body weight as well as HbA1c%. Such effects were associated by enhancement in both learning and memory as well as apparent normal cellularity in CA1and CA3 areas and reduced Casp-3 expression. CBL improved serum TNF-α and IGF-1β, GLU and 5-HT as well as hampering oxidative biomarkers. In conclusion, CBL possesses neuroprotection against diabetes-associated cerebral neurodegeneration and cognitive decline via anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiapototic effects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / therapeutic use*
  • Animals
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / metabolism
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / prevention & control*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / chemically induced
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / complications*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / drug therapy*
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / psychology*
  • Insulin / metabolism
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / drug effects
  • Memory Disorders / metabolism
  • Memory Disorders / prevention & control
  • Neuroprotective Agents / therapeutic use
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Streptozocin

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Insulin
  • Neuroprotective Agents
  • cerebrolysin
  • Streptozocin

Grants and funding

Financial support was provided by Cairo University and the National Organization of Drug Control and Research (NODCAR). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.