Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is known to have antioxidant potentials, yet the effect of CGA on brain ischemia has not been sufficiently understood. Brain ischemia such as transient global ischemia disrupts many areas of the brain of rats, including the hippocampus. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five groups, that is, sham‐operated (SO), bilateral common carotid occlusion (BCCO), and BCCO+ 15, 30, and 60 mg/kg bw CGA groups (CGA15, CGA30, and CGA60, respectively). Brain ischemia was induced in Wistar rats with BCCO for 20 min followed by intraperitoneal injection of CGA. The rats were examined for the spatial memory in a Morris water maze test on the 3rd day and were euthanized on the 10th day after BCCO. The total number of pyramidal cells was estimated, and the mRNA expressions of Bcl2, Bax, caspase‐3, SOD2, SOD1, GPx, ET‐1, eNOS, CD31, and VEGF‐A were measured. The BCCO group spent less time and distance in the target quadrant than any other group in the spatial memory retention test. The CA1 pyramidal cell numbers in the BCCO and CGA15 groups were lower than in the CGA30 and CGA60 groups. The mRNA expressions of Bcl2, SOD2, and CD31 in the BCCO group were lower than in the CGA15, CGA30, and CGA60 groups. The ET‐1 expression was higher in the BCCO and CGA15 groups than in the SO, CGA30, and CGA60 groups. CGA improves the spatial memory and prevents the CA1 pyramidal cell death after BCCO by increasing Bcl2, SOD2, and CD31 expressions and decreasing ET‐1 expression.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is believed to exert deleterious effects on various organs, including the hippocampus, likely via the oxidative stress pathway. Garlic (Alium sativum L.), which is considered to possess potent antioxidant activity, has been used as traditional remedy for various ailments since ancient times. We have investigated the effects of black garlic, a fermented form of garlic, on spatial memory and estimated the total number of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus in adolescent male Wistar rats treated with MSG. Twenty-five rats were divided into five groups: C- group, which received normal saline; C+ group, which was exposed to 2 mg/g body weight (bw) of MSG; three treatment groups (T2.5, T5, T10), which were treated with black garlic extract (2.5, 5, 10 mg/200 g bw, respectively) and MSG. The spatial memory test was carried out using the Morris water maze (MWM) procedure, and the total number of pyramidal cells of the hippocampus was estimated using the physical disector design. The groups treated with black garlic extract were found to have a shorter path length than the C- and C+ groups in the escape acquisition phase of the MWM test. The estimated total number of pyramidal cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus was higher in all treated groups than that of the C+ group. Based on these results, we conclude that combined administration of black garlic and MSG may alter the spatial memory functioning and total number of pyramidal neurons of the CA1 region of the hippocampus of rats.

Latar belakang: Peningkatan gejala depresi terjadi pada mahasiswa kedokteran tahun kedua disebabkan beban berat dan materi pembelajaran yang semakin sulit. Padatnya jadwal perkuliahan dan kegiatan kemahasiswaan menyebabkan kurangnya aktivitas fisik yang akan berhubungan dengan peningkatan gejala depresi. Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analitik dengan desain potong lintang dan menggunakan teknik total sampling dengan jumlah subjek penelitian 93 mahasiswa Program Studi Kedokteran Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Tanjungpura tahun kedua. Alat ukur penelitian menggunakan kuesioner Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) untuk mengukur tingkat aktivitas fisik dan Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) untuk mengukur tingkat depresi. Data dianalisis menggunakan uji korelasi Spearman Rank. Hasil: Berdasarkan uji statistik didapatkan nilai p=0,707 dengan nilai koefisien korelasi (r)=-0,040. Kesimpulan: Tidak terdapat hubungan antara tingkat aktivitas fisik dan tingkat depresi pada mahasiswa tahun kedua Program Studi Kedokteran Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Tanjungpura.