Abstract
Chronic exposures to high-fat diets are linked to neuropathological changes that culminate in obesity-related cognitive dysfunction and brain alteration. Learning, memory performance, and executive function are the main domains affected by an obesogenic diet. There are limited effective therapies for addressing cognitive deficits. Thus, it is important to identify additional and alternative therapies. In African traditional medicine, Gnidia glauca has putative efficacy in the management of obesity and associated complications. The use of Gnidia glauca is largely based on its long-term traditional use. Its therapeutic application has not been accompanied by sufficient scientific evaluation to validate its use. Therefore, the current study sought to explore the modulatory effects of dichloromethane leaf extracts of Gnidia glauca on cognitive function in the high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese rats. Obesity was induced by feeding the rats with prepared HFD and water ad libitum for 6 weeks. The in vivo antiobesity effects were determined by oral administration of G. glauca at dosage levels of 200, 250, and 300 mg/kg body weight in HFD-induced obese rats from the 6th to the 12th weeks. The Lee obesity index was used as a diagnostic criterion of obesity. The Morris water maze was employed to test spatial learning and memory retention in rats. The results indicated that Gnidia glauca showed potent antiobesity effects as indicated in the reduction of body weight and obesity index in extract-treated rats. Moreover, Gnidia glauca exhibited cognitive-enhancing effects in obese rats. The positive influences on cognitive functions might be attributed to the extracts' phytochemicals that have been suggested to confer protection against obesity-induced oxidative damage, reduction of central inflammation, and increased neurogenesis. The therapeutic effects observed suggest that Gnidia glauca might be an alternative to current medications for the symptomatic complications of obesity, such as learning and memory loss. Further studies are therefore needed to establish its toxicity profiles.
Highlights
Obesity is a significant modern health concern with widespread implications for individual health and well-being, family, and society [1]
The results showed that the HFD+Orlistat and HFD +G. glauca extract-treated groups recorded shorter latency to escape onto the hidden platform, swam faster, and covered shorter distances to reach the submerged platform in the maze
The present study focused on the determination of cognitiveenhancing effects of the DCM leaf extract of G. glauca in HFD-induced obese rats
Summary
Obesity is a significant modern health concern with widespread implications for individual health and well-being, family, and society [1]. The negative systemic effects of obesity on cardiovascular disease, metabolic physiology, and neuropsychological sequelae have attracted increased attention [2]. Chronic exposure to a high-fat diet results in an obesogenic state that is coupled with positive impairment of the energy balance equation [3]. A high-fat diet linked with neuropathological changes culminates in obesity-related cognitive dysfunction and brain alterations [4, 5]. The cognitive domains mostly affected by an obesogenic diet include learning, memory performance, Neural Plasticity Plant species UTM eastings UTM northings G. glauca. The coordinates of the location where the Gnidia glauca was collected
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